Heeeeyyy! I am back and so damn sorry about being gone for so long!

My last semester was simply super stressful, but fortunately, it is over now, and I wrote a new chapter for you! It is also a very long chapter, because I couldn't find a good spot to end this at.

Warning: There will be sexual activities described, and decriptions of alcohol and marijuana. It's described in a harmless way, because the characters are all knowledgeable enough not to overdo it or exaggerate. They know their limits.

So, I hope you remember that we left Katara and Zuko at Sokka's, with Aang and Toph, ready to party! Zuko just stepped on Suki's phone, and there were some weird moods between Toph and Sokka... Now how will this evening proceed? And I hope you didn't forget that Katara is planning a surprise for Zuko (insert devillish grin)...

So, let's dive right in, shall we?

I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender, nor its characters. The only characters I own are my OCs.


Chapter Thirty-Two

The club was filled with people, stinky, sweaty, loud people who kept bumping into one another, shoving their elbows into others' ribs, accidentally brushing the butts of other people with their hands, standing on other people's feet, and getting shoved from the middle of the dance floor to the margins of the dance floor. Colours flickered around the room, illuminating the crowd only every few seconds, making it seem like the world only existed in these instances.

At least, that is what Katara thought.

The room was large, there was a stage to the left, a bar to the right, and another round bar in the middle of the dancefloor. The music was only a pounding beat without any melody, but sufficient enough to make everyone jump up and down and shake their bodies in meaningless moves without any elegance or purpose. But for Katara it definitely was enough.

She felt exciting energy coursing through her and bounced forward to the dance floor.

Zuko pulled her back and leaned down to her ears, but still had to shout to make her understand him. "Shouldn't we get some drinks first?"

Katara's eyes widened in mortification. "What? We already drank so much at Sokka's!"

Zuko blinked, his eyes a little unfocused, but other than that he didn't seem that affected by the alcohol they had consumed before. He nodded slowly. "Right! Maybe you should go dance off some of the alcohol!"

"That's a great idea!" Aang agreed.

Zuko smiled at him.

Katara grabbed his hand. "Right. We should go dance together!"

Zuko's eyes widened. "Er… I don't know!"

"No, we totally should! Come on, Zuko!" Katara pulled at his hand.

He relented. "Fine."

Aang made sure that Toph found the way to the dance floor, and Sokka followed them with a loud cry of "Let's party!".

Katara had to use her elbows to get a good spot on the dance floor for her and her friends.

Aang and Katara shouted excitedly at each other whenever one of their favourite party songs was playing, and Katara was happy that one of their friendship traits had survived their relationship and breakup. Sokka was, as usual, making his dumbest dance moves, and Toph held either Aang or Katara's hand, while showing off her really good moves.

They had noticed at a party in high school that it was best to stay physically connected to Toph while dancing. When the music was too loud, Toph couldn't hear them, and dance groups tended to move, so this way Toph was always with them.

Katara noticed that Toph didn't grab for Sokka's hand, like she used to, but didn't think any of it. Since they were dancing as a group, Katara didn't really dance with Zuko, but just got to watch him dancing. He was not as enthusiastic as Aang, and he didn't show them the duck dance, the hip wiggle or tried to twerk like Sokka, but he still seemed more at ease than Katara could have imagined.

She remembered that Zuko had once told her that he liked dancing in clubs because it was like working out. It clearly looked that way. His moves were more precise and clearer than those of any of the others around them. When Zuko moved, there was a start and an end to the move, but he still managed to seem casual. He did a lot with his arms and hands, moving them to the rhythm of the music, becoming more pronounced when he knew the song.

Katara bumped her hip against his several times and always giggled, then she took his hand, lifted it and made him twirl under her arm, and he rolled his eyes, but complied and then did the same for her.

After a while, she could see that Zuko relaxed even more, and showed more of his joy and excitement to her friends. He smiled or grinned broadly, when he had correctly sung the lyrics of a song, and even laughed when Sokka got his ass smacked by a tall, grinning woman, while Sokka kept trying to twerk. Sokka looked embarrassed after that, and Aang leaned closer to Toph to tell her what had happened to Sokka. Katara expected Toph to grin devilishly the way she did, when her friends got into uncomfortable situations, but instead she seemed annoyed and rolled her eyes.

It was her who wanted to retreat first from the dance floor to get something to drink. She said her throat was dry.

The bars inside were crammed, so they went to the large balcony which actually seemed more like a terrace, except it wasn't on the ground floor or on the roof, to catch some fresh air.

Well, as fresh as it could be between tobacco and marijuana cigarettes, and bong smoke.

Katara was tipsy, as she had danced some of the alcohol away, and now she wondered how Zuko coped with drugs. He didn't seem to mind alcohol, and she knew he didn't smoke, but did he do party drugs? Katara had never asked him anything like that, and they had never talked about it. She was fairly sure that Zuko had smoked pot in high school, back in Jet's tree house, but how did he do these things today?

Sokka immediately got it arranged that they shared a joint, and Katara wondered again how Sokka always managed to do that. Sokka said he had this aura that told people that he would buy pot. Aang, Toph, and Katara looked too much like law abiding people at first glance.

A broad guy with a baseball cap shouldered Zuko to stop him. Katara turned around to wait for him, and saw how Zuko frowned at the guy, then shook his head, and walked around him and towards her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, which excited Katara still, and she led him over to her friends.

"What did that guy want?" she asked.

"Selling his stuff," Zuko answered.

Katara pursed her lips. "Did you want anything?"

"No."

Sokka had passed his joint to Toph who was just exhaling before giving it to Katara. Katara decided to pass the first round and handed it next to Zuko, who looked unsure. Sokka cocked his head to the side. "What is it?"

Zuko shot a glance at Katara before looking at the joint, then at Sokka. Was this now peer pressure, or girlfriend pressure, Katara wondered.

"I'm just passing the first round," Katara said. "I'm not good with all that smoke. You can go on, though."

Zuko quickly shook his head and passed it back to Sokka. "No, I can't."

"What's the matter?" Toph asked.

Zuko looked uncomfortable, and Katara didn't want him to tell if he didn't want to, but she was so curious herself. "It's, er... I cannot be... well, I cannot be seen smoking pot or anything like it. It would tarnish my father's reputation and maybe lower his popularity and chance to win the election."

Katara nodded, understandingly. Right. She was to help him make his father look good. She was to give a good impression. She sighed, as she realised that she would have to pass the joint on during every round. She really didn't like the smoke, and she never got as high as Sokka, because she really wasn't good at inhaling, but she didn't mind the feeling she got from it. Well, most of the time. Sometimes, Katara just wasn't in the mood for pot, and then she just kept away from it.

"Besides, I never smoked weed since the military academy. We had drug tests there quite often, and..." He shrugged. "I didn't miss it, so I just don't do it anymore."

Katara thought she understood. Her stern, serious, adorable, awkward, kind, sometimes flirty boyfriend with the hygiene obsession didn't smoke pot. That made sense in Katara's mind.

"But you did it in high school, right?" Sokka asked. "I remember Katara complaining about it when she visited Jet."

Zuko turned slightly pink. "Well, we thought we were cool and rebellious back then. Against the adults and all that. But I never bought any pot, for Uncle would have had my head if he had found any of it in my room. He always said that a good cup of tea was everything one needed for a calm mind and soul."

Katara bit her lip. She had liked the old man, despite Zuko being such an idiot back then. Maybe now she would get to meet him again.

"Katara used to complain that you never left Jet's, so she couldn't be alone with him," Aang interjected.

Katara turned wide, furious eyes at him. He smiled and shrugged.

Zuko slowly looked at Katara, grinning. "I knew it annoyed you. That's why I did it."

"What?" Katara snapped. "Honestly?"

Zuko nodded. "That, and I couldn't go home to Uncle, being stoned. He would have known immediately. His nose is really good when it comes to herbs, so I always stayed the night and took a shower before heading back home." He leaned closer to Katara. "I noticed how it pissed you off, though, so I either got high more often to have to stay and be able to annoy you, or I just pretended that I was too high to go home." He grinned evilly, and for some reason Katara thought that this look suited him.

She pinched him in his side, and Zuko let out a yelp, and then he chuckled. It was a chuckle that looked genuinely amused, and he even showed his teeth.

Katara felt her heart beating faster at seeing him grin so openly. It's not that she didn't like the fact that Zuko was a rather serious person, but sometimes it felt like he could laugh more often if he just dared to. Katara sometimes thought that he was simply holding himself back, and that didn't do.

"Zuko!" A female voice called from behind him.

Katara immediately cracked her neck to see who had called out to him.

Zuko looked shocked, then turned around.

It was just Azula. Well, 'just' as in 'a girl who has no interest in Katara's boyfriend'. But not 'just' as in 'no one to worry about'.

Azula made her way to them, wearing a tight and form fitting black and white dress, that barely ended on her thigh. Her hair was partly down, with a knot at the top of her head, and she wore dark red lipstick and golden earrings with a golden necklace.

Katara stepped towards Zuko to be closer and listen to their conversation.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko asked Azula, looking dumbfounded.

Azula smirked. Maybe it was meant to be a smile, but Katara didn't think that Azula was capable of smiling genuinely. "Just having fun with friends, nothing else. I didn't know you were here. Or that you even party this close to exams," she said with some significant meaning.

Katara wondered what this meaning was.

Zuko frowned, then twisted his mouth. "It's still two weeks. So, this is the last time we get to party."

Azula rolled her eyes. "Speak for yourself. I could party the night before an exam and still get full marks."

Katara rolled her eyes. How could anyone stand having such an arrogant sister? Surely, she wasn't like this with Sokka!

"Zuko, where are your manners?" Azula chirped, glancing around him. "Introduce us."

Katara raised her eyebrows at 'us', and then noticed that there were two girls standing next to Azula, waiting for her.

She recognised them instantly.

Ty Lee, cheerleader, part of the dancing club and the acrobats club at high school, popular, incredibly friendly and helpful, always blabbering on about zen, smoke, pearls, and auras. Katara remembered that a lot of people had had a crush on Ty Lee in high school. She had just been so open and warm, nice to everyone, and seeming genuinely so. A lot of girls had resented her for that, but when they had talked to her, even they couldn't help but like Ty Lee. So far, Katara couldn't say that much had changed about Ty Lee. She wore a pink top with thin straps and glitter, and a white, high waisted skirt. She didn't seem to wear that much make up except for clearly fake lashes (which were applied meticulously, Katara envied that, since she couldn't do it), and beamed at Zuko.

And Mai, emo outside of the emo gang. She had clearly hated everyone and everything at high school, going fully on that path that Katara had almost taken after her first day at Ba Sing Se High. Mai had never seemed to be friends with anyone, although a lot of people had thought that she was friends with Tahno, Eska, and Dezna, simply because they, too, had worn much black and weird make up. But Mai's only friend at high school had actually been Ty Lee. And later, Azula. Katara had never cared much for Mai before Azula had transferred to their school. Katara had only known her as a pale girl with back hair, black eye liner, black eye shadow, black lipstick, black clothes, black school bags, and black pencils, writing in a grey colour. She had had a ring between her nostrils in high school and several piercings in her eyebrows. They were still there, but her lips were painted rosy now, and her eye shadow had the colour of salmon, and she also didn't wear too thick eye liner. Mai's hair was not all black anymore, the ends had been dyed violet. Her jeans was black, and the oversized, cropped band t-shirt she wore, as well. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, and she had shifted her weight onto her right leg. Small, steely grey eyes looked like dead or sucking black holes coloured grey, as she looked at Zuko.

Katara bit her lip. Great. She'd never before met an ex of her boyfriend.

Zuko blinked. "Oh, right, sorry. Yeah. Erm..." He turned around to look at Sokka, Aang, and Toph. "So, I guess you all know my sister Azula from school, and you also probably remember Mai and Ty Lee from school as well. They are Azula's best friends, and er... Mai and Azula also went to Sozin Academy when I did. And Mai and I used to date." Then he turned swiftly back to his sister and her friends. "Well, er, this is Aang, he was a year below you, this is Toph, who was two years below you, this is Sokka from my year, and this is Katara, Sokka's sister, from your year. I'm sure you remember her. She's my girlfriend."

Katara tried not to grin too heavily when he said that. Yeah, she was his girlfriend. A real one.

Azula's gaze travelled over Sokka and Katara's friends. "A pleasure to see you all again."

"I can say," Toph snorted.

Katara grinned.

Azula raised her eyebrows.

Sokka nodded. "Likewise."

"Yeah!" Aang grinned, waving.

Ty Lee copied him, but in what it seemed a genuine way of greeting someone.

"You, too," said Katara.

Mai nodded.

Ty Lee pressed her arms to her chest, then she seemed to explode. "Oh, it's so great to see you all! Zuko! I haven't seen you in ages!" She bounded forward and hugged him tightly. He staggered back, his eyes wide and surprised, and he awkwardly raised his hands to pat her back.

While Aang and Ty Lee made nice small talk, Katara realised that Azula seemed smug, and Mai angry.

Was she angry because she and Zuko weren't a couple anymore, and she didn't like seeing Zuko's new girlfriend? As far as Katara knew, Mai was the one who had broken up with Zuko almost a year ago. But maybe Mai had expected Zuko to be upset over it for a longer time.

Katara took a step closer to Zuko, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. Katara felt some relief. At least, he showed that he wanted her. He leaned closer to her to say in her ear "I'm sorry, I didn't know they'd come. I didn't even tell Azula about what we're doing tonight."

Katara nodded and smiled at him. "That's alright. It's okay. Since Mai is a friend of your sister's, I was bound to meet her some day."

Zuko brought his face closer to hers and began to nuzzle her cheek. "Yeah," he said with a heavy tone.

"I'm really sorry, guys," Azula said. "I didn't realise our showing up here would cause tension. I just wanted to say hi to be polite. But I should have thought about Zuko's past with Mai."

Katara rolled her eyes. Zuko seemed to get along with Aang just fine, even though he had been annoyed about it from the very beginning. Zuko had been Aang's Kung Fu rival, and he had never got along with any of Katara's friends except for Toph. But Katara had never even cared about Mai. So, she wouldn't act like a jealous harpy now. She scowled as she noticed that this had been Ozai's plan to make her look like a jealous fury over some new girl that would have just entered Zuko's life. Katara then vowed to herself never to be jealous.

"That's almost been a year," Zuko said and sounded way cooler than he could have possibly felt.

"Yeah," Mai said and glared at Azula.

Oh, Katara realised that Mai was angry for the same reason that Zuko was. At Azula for bringing them into this situation.

"Oh," Azula didn't even try to be a good actress. "My, I hadn't realised that this much time has already passed!"

"Sure you didn't," Zuko said sarcastically.

Katara frowned at Azula, feeling bewildered. According to Azula's posts, she was okay with Zuko being with Katara. She had even written under one of her posts that if he didn't marry Katara, he would be an idiot. Not that Katara was thinking about marriage. That would be crazy. But didn't this mean that Azula should actually like her and not try to... What? Make her jealous?

Then Katara stiffened. What if Azula just did this because she had also heard from Ozai that he wanted Katara to get jealous in public?

Her frown deepened, as she stared at Azula, who was still looking innocently at them.

"By the way, Azula," Katara said sweetly. "I don't know if Meng already told you, but I won't make this video with you. Yes, I hit her, but that shitstorm is your problem. I didn't cause it."

There was a slight quiver in Azula's eyebrow, before she gave a high, clear laugh. "Oh, of course. You don't have to explain yourself, Katara. Meng already told me everything. However, you should make some kind of public statement." She tipped her finger against her chin. "You know so that the public won't think that you supported this shit storm. We don't want them to think that, do we?" Azula lifted one eyebrow and twisted her lips in a slight pout.

Katara clenched her fists and felt her blood begin to boil. How dare she threaten her? After Katara had tried to defend her family against Meng!

"That's enough!" Zuko growled. He pulled Katara closer towards him, and she looked up at him to see him glower at Azula.

"What?" Azula innocently raised her hands. "I was just trying to help her. Honestly, the people want a statement from her."

"It is not up to you to decide whether I give one or not," Katara said.

"The smart move would be to listen to me," said Azula. She rolled her eyes. "Maybe we can talk again when you two aren't that pissed."

Katara looked around to see that the environment was quite uncomfortable.

Sokka was glaring at Azula with his arms crossed, while Toph was frowning in her direction.

Aang was biting nervously on his lower lip, and Ty Lee pulled nervously on her braid. Mai had her eyes narrowed and watched the interchange between her, Zuko, and Azula.

Katafa faked a laugh. "That's a wonderful idea, Azula! I am sure we can talk better tomorrow! Why don't we all just go inside again and have a few more drinks?"

"Wait. I'm not finished," Sokka protested and lifted his joint.

Mai stepped forward, snapped it from his hand and inhaled deeply. The burning paper sizzled down, as half of the joint burnt away. Sokka stared at her in shock with an open mouth. She handed the joint back to him, and Sokka swallowed before inhaling and then giving the joint to Toph who finished it.

"Great!" Katara said. "So, then we can go!" She reached for Zuko's hand and dragged him back inside. She was angry at Azula, angry that part of her wonderful evening was ruined. She wouldn't let it stay ruined. She would get drunk again at the bar, then she'd dance with Zuko to sweat some of the alcohol out of her system, and when they'd leave, she'd almost be sober again, and then she would give Zuko his surprise. Yeah.

At the bar, Katara ordered ten shots for all of them and then turned around to look for a free table. And she found Azula already leading Mai, Ty Lee, Aang, who chatted with Ty Lee, and Toph, who held onto Aang's hand, to a free bar table. Sokka followed them, too.

Zuko leaned down to Katara and caught her attention. "I didn't know Azula would be here tonight!" he said loudly to be heard over the music. He almost looked like he was excusing himself for her.

Katara quickly wrapped her arms around his hips. "It's okay, Zuko." She rose to her tiptoes to kiss him shortly, making him blink and blush.

She grinned.

They returned to the others, distributing the alcohol between everyone except for Ty Lee and Aang. Zuko and Katara shared one of the spare glasses, and she leaned closer towards him. Standing around a bar table was not as great as sitting on one of those sofas in the lounge part of the club, but she still managed to stay close to Zuko and touch him in innocent ways. He stepped a little behind her so that she could feel his left shoulder behind her right one. Katara bit her lip, only listening with a half ear to Ty Lee, and then lifted her arm behind Zuko's back and dragged her fingers over his back lightly. He jerked and quickly looked at her. She raised an eyebrow, and after he relaxed again, he leaned even closer. She started to rub lazy circles on his back, noticing that her mind wandered to places and situations in which she could feel Zuko even closer.

Tearing her thoughts from sex only worked after she went to the toilet and washed her hands with cold water, letting it run over her wrists. When she returned to the others – Ty Lee trailing behind her, because she had needed to use the loo, too – there was Mai returning to the table with more shots. After drinking one and a half again, Katara felt dizzy enough that she knew that she had to dance now.

The problem was that she immediately took Zuko's hand and pulled him to the dance floor. Normally she would have brought Toph, but as soon as her arms were around Zuko's shoulders and his eyes fixed intently on her, she felt that maybe this was not such a good idea. Zuko put his hands on her hips, and they began to dance.

It was quite different than the waltz at the gala, but just as easy to find a rhythm with him. They moved faster, and Katara swayed her hips, while Zuko still seemed to guide her in the right directions. When the party music made way for older pop music, Zuko took Katara's hands and twirled her around a bit, which had her laughing. They clutched at each other's fingers when the chorus of I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston began to play.

Zuko's arms alternatively pulled her closer on one of hers, and he kept twirling her around under his arms. His eyes were shining, telling her that he enjoyed himself. Katara was beyond relieved as she had been very anxious about this evening, hoping that he would like it.

Katara sang along to the song and kept looking intently into Zuko's eyes, moving closer to him than the dance moves allowed and brushing her hips against his thighs whenever she had the chance. It didn't take long for Zuko's eyes to start burning, and after the old pop music had shifted to rap, and Katara moved her hips again, she was sure that he would agree to her surprise later.

She licked her lips, as she was looking up at him. Zuko's eyes were fixed on her mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.

Shortly after that, they said their goodbyes to the others and left the club, stopping at a nearby fast-food shop to get chips and spring rolls. They ate their food on the way to the underground, chatting about how their evening had been, their past experiences with clubs and alcohol.

Due to it being Friday and summer, there were still a lot of people out in the streets and also in the underground trains. In fact, Katara and Zuko didn't even find an empty seat.

When they left the underground close to the uni campus, Katara wondered if maybe Zuko would have liked to go to his own flat. Did he maybe only come with her because he thought she wanted it? Because it was almost normal to have him over now?

But the soft look in his eyes and the small smile on his lips told her that he was here because he wanted it. Katara practically skipped the steps up.

Once inside, and the door firmly locked, Katara threw her bag on her bed and put her keys on her nightstand. Zuko raised a brow, and she rolled her eyes. He took two steps towards her and pressed a firm kiss to her lips. Katara moaned and ran her hands over his torso.

Zuko tasted like vodka with the umami taste from their food. Salty and whole. Katara tried to get as much of his taste on her tongue as possible. But then she quickly pulled away.

"I'm reeking of sweat and smoke. So, I'll take a shower," she said and saw him nod slowly. "Do you… want to come with me?" This was not planned. Katara had thought she'd be in her bed, not the shower.

His eyebrows shot up quickly. "A-Are you sure?"

She nodded and grinned at him. "If you're uncomfortable in there, we can still have sex in my bed afterwards." She lifted an eyebrow at him.

Zuko chuckled and suddenly pressed her against him, his arms around her waist. "I was talking about the space, not about sex."

Katara twisted her lips in a pout. "But if we stand close together, we'll easily fit in the shower. So, I thought you wouldn't be comfortable with closeness in the shower."

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he sank his head to kiss her neck. "I'm very open to different locations," he rumbled from deep in his chest, sending shivers down Katara's spine.

"Good," she whispered and pulled at his shirt. They undressed completely before they stepped in the tiny bathroom and into the shower. Katara had been right. They really fit well in there if they stood close together.

She turned on the shower and first concentrated on washing her skin and her hair, which Zuko insisted doing for her. She gasped when he washed her between the legs and shamelessly kneaded her breasts when he was moving to her armpits.

After she had taken back control a little, washed him, and used the shower head to brush the soap off Zuko, she pressed herself against him, kissing him, and reaching for his cock to take it in her hand. He was already hard, causing Katara to sigh into their kiss. He moaned when she started to stroke him up and down. His hands grabbed her hips tightly, pulling her closer.

Katara pushed him against the wall, pushing her tongue deep into his mouth and putting both her hands on his genitals. With one, she caressed his balls, the other stroked over his cock. Zuko groaned deeply into their kiss, his hips jerking into her hands. She felt his hands moving over her stomach and down between her legs. Katara used one hand to stop him and pulled her lips away from his, tilting her head to look up at him. He was panting heavily, his hair humid from the steam in the shower, sticking to his temples. There was a flush on his cheeks and on his neck, and his lips were swollen and red. Katara had to think about Snow White again, hair as dark as ebony, skin as white as snow, and lips as red as blood. Well, Zuko's lips weren't that red. Maybe more like red snapper, besides, they were just so red right now because of their kisses. However, Katara wondered why no one had ever written Snow White with a man before. Zuko's lips begged to be kissed.

Katara really liked Snow White's colours, but she would probably always think about them on a man, on this man here. His eyes seemed almost black with his widened pupils, the golden ring around it made them look like an eclipse. Katara bit on her lip, as she watched his face. He was so special, so unique, and he was hers.

She pushed his wrists against the tiles next to his hips and leaned forward to kiss his neck. He let out a low groan. "Ka… tara…"

She closed her eyes as she felt her stomach tighten at his groan and latched her lips more hungrily to his throat. She made sure to suck him on both sides, to lick up to his ear and to press kisses down to his shoulders. Zuko truly had a wonderful throat and neck. It was almost a little too long, but broad and moved nicely into his muscular shoulders.

Katara let go of his wrists to run her hands over his rips.

Suddenly, his hands were on her hips again, and then he spun them. Controlled and careful, so that they wouldn't slip on the wet floor. Katara wanted to fight the movement but was too afraid of making them both fall down.

Zuko pushed her against the wall, put his hands under her backside and lifted her. Katara's heart seemed to jump out of her chest, as she stared at him, panting heavily, her mouth open. She couldn't do anything but to wrap her legs tightly around his waist and moaning when she felt him hard against her core. He kissed her hungrily before moving down to her throat, giving back what he had received.

Katara's eyes widened as she realised that she couldn't let him take control. He had always just given in the past few days, and Katara wanted to give something, too.

"Stop," she panted, her hands on his hips.

Zuko raised his head but kept staring at her with hungry eyes.

"Put me down," she said.

He took a step back and helped her to carefully step onto the wet floor. She saw that he tried to control himself, swallowing and blinking.

She put her hands on his shoulders and carefully directed him to the wall again. "This is going to happen like this," she said as she pushed him against the tiles.

Zuko raised his eyebrows. "And how exactly is this going to work?"

She grinned at him and slowly dragged her fingers from his shoulders over his chest and stomach and further down. She saw his jaw clench and his eyes glaze over, as she leaned forward to kiss over his chest, down to his stomach until she was kneeling in front of him. His cock pointed at her face.

"Oh, you don't have to…" Zuko tried to say, his hands clenching to fists at his sides. He looked down at her with black fire in his eyes.

Katara hummed. "You're right. I don't have to." She ran her hands up his thighs until they were right underneath his cock. She used her thumbs to touch him lightly.

He inhaled sharply.

"But I want to," Katara said.

Zuko opened his mouth. "R-really?"

Katara frowned as she looked up at him. "If you don't want this, I'll stop." She suddenly felt a little unsure. She knew that Jet had always wanted this, and Katara had pretended to enjoy it, and from all young adult novels she had read so far, she had gathered that most guys liked this. Aang had seemed more hesitant, but Zuko had been very passionate so far, so Katara had thought he might like this. She had been afraid of just taking from him, so she wanted to give him something as well.

The fire in his eyes didn't lessen, and she saw his lips curling, his nostrils flaring. "I definitely won't object. But are you sure?"

Instead of answering him, she leaned forward and licked him. She pushed her cheek into his thigh and licked him up from his base, her hands moving inwards to cup his balls.

Zuko gasped, groaned when she licked back, and she heard a slam, thinking that he had possibly slammed his fist against the tiles.

She smirked in satisfaction as she kissed his tip, rolling her lips around him and just sucked the tip a little into her mouth, pressing her tongue against the front.

Zuko moaned and she felt his thighs tremble.

Katara closed her eyes, as she felt even more aroused by arousing him so much. Now she didn't just want to give something to Zuko, now she felt like taking him into her mouth would also give her something. She felt warm and hungry, opened her mouth wider and took everything that fit.

She had thought about doing this slow, warming up to fitting him into her mouth, but suddenly she felt as if she couldn't hold back. It was hard to keep her teeth out of the way, but whenever she felt her mouth loosen and her teeth grazed against his hot skin, he groaned even louder. She let her hands wander over his balls, his thighs and hips and then to his backside, which she squeezed firmly.

Zuko jumped. "Fuck!"

Katara did it again, and then his fingers waved into her hair, pressing against the back of her head. Katara pulled back, until only her tongue was on him anymore, and then took him into her mouth again, sucking, and pulling back.

She didn't mind his taste at all, but she wished that her mouth could open wider. She liked the sucking just fine, but she was a little afraid of biting him unintentionally.

Zuko's thighs began to shake harder, and his grip on her head tightened, as his groans became deeper and louder. She knew that during sex this meant that he would come soon. Katara used her hands to pump his base in the same rhythm in which she took him into her mouth, intent on covering all of him. She had to close her eyes as she felt more arousal between her legs.

Zuko abruptly pulled at her, pulling her head away, and then she felt hot, sticky, liquid coat her lips. She stood up quickly, which didn't help, as his semen simply hit her throat, chest, and stomach, pooling in her belly button, and dripping down between her legs. She looked down at herself and bit on her lip. She didn't know if she liked this. On one hand, she felt a little bit disgusted because it was really sticky, but on the other hand she felt aroused. It felt as if Zuko had marked her, had claimed her to be his. She balled her hands to fists, willing those anti-feminist thoughts to go away. But then again, if she would claim and mark Zuko now somehow, then it would be mutual and there would be nothing anti-feminist about this.

She looked up at him and saw that his head was pressed against the wall, his throat was stretched, and she could see his Adam apple bob as he swallowed. His eyes were pressed shut, and he lifted a hand to press it against his eyes.

Katara wondered if she should quickly wash his semen from her body, but then his head suddenly snapped forward, looking at her with a lazy, satisfied expression. She bit on her lip. At least she knew that he had liked this. His mouth closed as his gaze dropped to her chest and the trail of his semen. Suddenly, she felt nervous. Would he find it disgusting and ask her to wash it off?

He swallowed, but her eyes were on his gaze, which was focused on her breasts. "Sorry," he murmured. "I shouldn't have…" He licked his lips. "I mean…"

Something fluttered behind her navel as she realised that his pupils were still wide and blown, making his eyes look like black pools. But she knew him well enough now to see that the sight of her covered in his cum did turn him on.

She leaned forward and pressed her breasts to his rips, looking up at him. He swallowed again. "You like that, don't you?" she asked, her voice breathier than she would have thought.

He licked his lips, and instead of answering her, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. Katara moaned into his mouth, and then she heard the water turning off. She leaned away and blinked at Zuko. His eyes were burning like an inferno.

"Can I…" He licked his lips again, perhaps nervously, or just because of lust. "Can I sleep with you while you keep this on yourself?" He asked and pointed unnecessarily at his seed.

Katara nodded, not even needing to think about it. "But I need to do something else first."

He blinked. "What?"

She leaned forward and latched her lips to his neck. She licked him and sucked his soft skin into her mouth, biting down on him, widening her mouth and sucking harder.

When she leaned away, Zuko was panting, and there was a slightly red bruise on his neck. She licked over it again. "I want to see something, too, that I left on you when you'll take me."

Zuko's face seemed to be clouded with a shadow for a moment, but then he dipped his head and kissed her cheek. "Gods, I love you."

Katara's heart pounded fast, and she felt excited at this finding that while Zuko was apparently territorial, he also liked her being so. She smiled as she kissed him, because this intimacy with him made her feel whole, happy, and accepted. She felt cherished by him and felt his love like the heat emanating from his body.

She ran her hands over his sides and down to his thighs. "And I you."

They got out of the shower and dried themselves, but Katara took care not to remove his seed from her. It was sticky, but it was still running down her body, so she hurried to get onto her bed for the horizontal.

She looked to Zuko who left the door to her bathroom open so that the steam could leave the tiny room. She bit on her lip, impatient for him. This man… Truly, he was a vision. A dream.

Katara swallowed. She loved him so damn much. And she loved him, and he would sleep with her now. He would sleep with her, staring at his seed on her chest, snarling like some Neanderthal and feel this proud, happy feeling of knowing that she was his.

Her eyes wandered over his body and deciding that it was best to take him all in at once. His pale flesh, his rippling muscles, his hard cock, his black hair, his burning eyes. He looked like he might devour her. But then he suddenly blinked, and it was all gone, and he was almost hesitant as he neared her. He sat down next to her and ran a hand up between her thighs and slipped his fingers through her folds. Her stomach clenched, and she looked up into his eyes. He almost looked questioning, as if he wasn't entirely sure if this was really okay for her.

Katara raised her hand to reach for him, to bring him closer. Her eyes wandered to his shoulder, and she grew too curious now. She had noticed the beginning of a dark colour on his shoulder, but it was not much, and it looked like it actually went on on his back. That was why she had never asked, but now she was quite sure that it was the beginning of a tattoo.

She had wondered if it was maybe a very embarrassing tattoo, which was why he didn't turn his back to her. And why he didn't like his back being touched.

Katara had had a weak spot for bad boys since she was a teenager. It was one of the reasons that she had felt attracted to Jet. After that, she had told herself never to like bad boys again. From then on, she had appreciated their looks, typically tattoos, leather jackets, boots, motor bikes, but had never felt really attracted to any she had encountered. No one knew of that, because it was embarrassing, and everyone thought that girls who liked bad boys were dumb and superficial.

This old, embarrassing fascination, however, won over as she looked at Zuko. "Is that a tattoo?" she asked, her fingers just skimming over his shoulder.

Zuko's eyes widened in surprise and shock, and he quickly looked down at his shoulder. He looked paler when he looked back at her, but he cleared his throat and blushed a little. "Er, yeah."

"Does it go on on your back?" Katara asked.

He nodded slowly, his eyes wide and not blinking.

Katara kept stroking his shoulder. "How did you get it?"

Zuko seemed to let out a breath of relief. "Eleventh grade. I had... a phase." He blushed even more.

Katara's brows knit together. "Just tattoos or more?"

Zuko pinked even more. "Well, I did get a few piercings, but everyone needed to remove such things at Sozin Academy. I hadn't worn them since."

Katara's brow furrowed. "I think I remember that. I always thought of you as some punk / emo guy."

"Always?" Zuko looked a little confused.

Katara kept running her hands over his skin. His arms and chest. "Well, after I had to hang out with you more often." She shrugged. "I think before that you looked relatively stuck up."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "You're one to talk. You never wore your hair down in high school."

Katara pressed her lips together, as a blush rose in her cheeks. He remembered that? "It's traditional to wear it long, but it can get in the way a lot. It's down now," she said and shrugged.

Zuko took one of her strands into his hand. "I like it," he declared.

Katara put a hand in his neck and ran it through his dark hair, that was still a little wet. "Yours is fine, too."

He bent down and kissed her.

But Katara's curiosity was not satisfied. "What kind of tattoo is it? Is it your only one?"

Zuko seemed intent on distracting her, however. He kissed her cheeks, and down her neck. "Just a flame. And no."

Katara's imagination ran wild, and she wondered where the heck the other one was if she had never seen it. She wanted to know!

Zuko lied down on her and brought their hips together. He looked up into her face and raised an eyebrow.

Katara flushed.

"You want to know where, right?"

She nodded, still a little embarrassed.

He sighed and got on his knees to sit back on his butt. He stretched his left leg and showed her his calf.

Katara pressed her lips together and leaned forward to get a better look. There were fine, black hairs on his leg, and Katara realised that she had never paid much attention to that part of his body. His feet, his ankle, and his calves. She preferred the torso of men, but this was interesting as well.

The tattoo was on the inner side of his leg and showed two dao swords, crossed like pirates' sabres. It was a dark grey colour, simple, but still good looking.

"The one on my shoulder hurt too much, so it is not finished. I, er, still wanted to get one, though," Zuko explained.

Katara's fingers brushed over his tattoo, while she fought with herself not to find him more attractive because of a tattoo. Dao swords, seriously? It wasn't even a cool tattoo. It spoke of teenage grandeur, not of a warrior. However, it still fit Zuko. Finding him more attractive because of that was silly, and she had sworn not to be impressed by anything bad boyish anymore. But Zuko was not a bad boy. He was an introvert, who had been a difficult and angry teenager, and had decided to get a tattoo. Many teenagers did that.

Suddenly, she found herself pushed onto her back.

"If you keep sitting up, my seed will run down," Zuko said, his hands both next to her head, and his hair falling into his eyes. She had seen him on top of her many times already, but it was still always thrilling. The way he looked down at her, his pupils so wide, his lips parted.

Katara felt flutters in her stomach and heat pool between her legs. How was it that he was so attractive?

She arched her back to stretch towards him. "Yes. Take me now. And don't hold back."

Zuko's nostrils flared, and a muscle in his jaw clenched. Then he descended on her.

oOo

On Saturday, Katara and Zuko decided to visit a farmers' market. They bought local fruit and vegetables, and Zuko showed her the place where they could buy those good rice noodles.

Zuko was a bit nervous and wondered if last night's sexual experience would somehow influence the next day, their relationship, or how Katara treated him. But she was normal. She teased him, smiled at him, hugged and kissed him as she had done during the last few days.

Zuko found himself smiling more often, mostly when she smiled at him, or when she did something adorable.

Katara seemed to have only learned of the most typical vegetables and fruits here, those used for almost every meal, even in the Eastern Province, so Zuko was able to show her a lot more on the market. She was very curious, and sometimes shocked by the form or smell of a fruit.

Then, Zuko smiled. He thought about what he could cook later from all these vegetables that Katara had never seen before.

After this, they went to Zuko's flat, because there were more kitchen utensils there that he needed. Katara helped him and sneaked kisses off him, which made him blush like some schoolboy.

When Jet came home, it was evident that he'd been away since Friday night. He was given a small portion of Zuko's fire ramen, while Katara and Zuko ate the rest, his bowl covered with a small mountain of fire flakes.

Zuko could feel his best friend's gaze heavily on him and looked questioningly at Katara. She had her eyebrows raised at him. They hadn't talked about telling Jet, but if Katara was okay with it, Zuko would gladly go with it.

But Katara neither shook her head nor did she nod. She just kept looking at him questioningly. What did she want?

"Okay, so, I guess you want to tell me something, but both of you wait for the other one to say it's okay?" Jet said.

Zuko quickly looked at him, then back at Katara, who flushed slightly. Zuko pressed his eyes together before attempting a smile. "Uh yeah?"

Katara nodded. "Yes, we… We're really together now." She bit on her lower lip as she looked at him, and Zuko smiled at her.

"Finally," Jet said and sounded thoroughly fed up.

Zuko's head snapped back to Jet. "What?"

Jet rolled his eyes. "It was pretty obvious," he said with his mouth full. "I didn't think you'd take this long to tell me. Honestly, I'm hurt." He kept shoving noodles into his mouth. Jet was always hungra after partying.

"I just..." Zuko rubbed his neck self-consciously. "I didn't want to tell you on the phone, and I… wasn't really around the apartment a lot lately." He shrugged.

Jet wiggled his eyebrows and grinned as he looked at Katara. "Right. I did notice your absence."

Katara rolled her eyes.

"But honestly, I'm happy for you," Jet said a little more seriously, and Zuko let out a relieved breath. Katara squeezed his knee under the table.

After Katara had helped him to clean up, and Jet had plopped himself on the sofa, turning on the TV, Katara suggested they do something this evening. Zuko wondered if they could go to a restaurant and have their first real date, but Katara simply wanted picknick in the Old Palace Park. Which was also the idea of hundreds of other young people.

By the lake, Katara looked doubtful, but Zuko had been here enough times in his childhood to know the good places and led her around the lake to a secluded area with a pond. There was only one tree, but only turtle ducks to disturb the quiet. Zuko's mum had brought him and Azula here often, showing them how to feed turtle ducks.

After some hesitation, Zuko told Katara about why this place was special to him. And she squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

She stayed the night at his flat but had to leave on Sunday because she still had homework to do and her family to meet for lunch.

The next weeks were spent on exam preparation. Monday afternoon, Zuko met Katara in the university library and they stayed there and studied together. Even though Zuko was one year behind, he did manage to help her somehow as the basics were still fresher in his mind.

In the evening, they left together, bought some food and ended up at Zuko's flat. Simply because there was more space.

They were still studying after dinner, and Zuko was relieved to learn that Katara was a very determined student. She didn't like taking breaks that much, and she didn't get bored when they studied until 11pm.

Zuko was just like her when it came to studying, but without her he had often forgotten to eat or sleep. Without him, Katara would forget to take a shower or take a walk to stretch her legs a bit. So, Zuko thought that they complemented each other well, which excited him. He showed her so every evening, and although the time they spent together was used on studying and not on getting to know each other better or going on dates, Zuko simply loved knowing Katara was in the same room as him. He had been afraid of not being able to concentrate with her there, but somehow her presence seemed more calming and not exciting when he needed to focus.

Before their exams, Zuko made them both energy shakes, while Katara managed to take his mind off his usual thoughts of "What if I fail? I am not good enough. I am going to fuck this up." Which was normally on a loop in Zuko's head before exams. Normally he countered this with angry thoughts and stubborn concentration but listening to Katara' positive reassurances felt even better.

Zuko was still nervous when he sat down in the lecture room and got the exam handed to him.

"I can fucking do this, and no one is going to stop me!" That was his old voice.

He scowled at the paper.

"You can do this, Zuko. You're smart and determined. You can do everything you set your mind to." And that was the new voice in his head.

Picturing Katara in his mind helped. He took a deep breath, calmed down, and read through the first question.

oOo

After the exam phase, Jet, Azula, and Katara's friends were all adamant on going out together to party. Katara was fine with that, so Zuko was, too.

He was mostly just happy that he could concentrate more on Katara again. She had a new project: finding a job.

Now that they were really together, he couldn't well keep paying her, but she needed to pay her rent and needed money for her household. Zuko swallowed before he could ask her if she didn't just want to move in with him. They had been together for three weeks, he should really slow down.

So, Zuko tried to be supportive in her search and not have a bad feeling about him being the reason why she hadn't been able to find a job in the first place. She told him how frustrating it had been not to find a job. How everyone had turned her down, even though she would have clearly done a great job.

Zuko was thinking about simply visiting Supaki Nensho again and making sure that Katara would find the job that she wanted, but what if he told her about intervening some day later, and she would not only be mad at him for keeping her from finding a job, but also from finding the job by herself now?

He thought his guilt was eating him up alive, so he dived right into helping Katara searching for jobs. She forbade him from coming with her to job interviews, though. She claimed that he would be too recognisable and probably influence the owners' view of her.

So apart from helping Katara in the way she wanted, Zuko tried to be as attentive and caring as he could. Which really wasn't hard. He normally always noticed little changes in Katara's mood, and it really wasn't hard paying attention to her.

He always thought of himself as a rather emotional person, but more on the aggressive-and-frustrated-outburst side. However, being Katara's boyfriend gave him the opportunity to get to know himself on a whole new level.

He never felt the need to change himself or suppress any urges and feelings. He made breakfast for Katara and brought it to her while she was still lying in bed. Instead of saying that it would stain his sheets, she beamed as if no one had ever done something so wonderful for her. She kissed him, said thank you, and patted the space next to her.

Zuko paid for their coffee in a café, but instead of calling him anti-feminist, Katara just smiled at him, but paid for their coffee next time.

Zuko bought chocolate mochis to keep at his place, and Katara bought fire flakes for him that he could sprinkle over his food.

It was frightening at first for Zuko, but until now, Katara had never got angry at him or dismissed him in a serious way. Sure, she would roll her eyes when he declared that it was time for a sweep according to his schedule. And she did get rather shouty when he proposed to wrap up a cleaning schedule for her flat as well. There wasn't that much room, and Zuko didn't want to offend Katara by cleaning, so he had proposed the schedule. But that had not been received well.

Until the next day, when he saw that Katara was reading the book by Marie Kondo about cleaning and keeping order. Katara admitted that she sometimes had trouble finding things, and she seemed to know herself that she really didn't clean up after herself a lot. She was much more thoughtful about this in Zuko's flat, and told him that when it was just herself, who could be bothered by the disorder? However, with him there, she felt too pressured to keep order, so she stubbornly refused to do so.

It took a few days of discussing, of snapping, of explaining for them to come to a compromise. Katara just needed to put her things in predetermined places at Zuko's, just as he had to at hers. Whatever she did with her things at her flat didn't concern him, as long as it didn't stop his basic needs, like access to the sink in the kitchen or the shower. They washed the dishes together after every meal at Katara's, so that was fairly easy. Just her overflowing basket of worn clothes and her hair in her shower were an issue for him.

She agreed to keep her shower cleaner in order for Zuko to feel more comfortable at her place, but she was going to deal with her laundry the way she wanted to. In exchange, Zuko brought Katara more cleaning utensils, and then even a hair mask against breakage to reduce the hairs in her shower.

He was half afraid she would get indignant and angry, and she really didn't seem happy about his gifts, but instead of raising one eyebrows, she didn't utter any displeasure. Instead she sighed and said thank you. She told him that she was sorry, and she knew Zuko did whatever he could to make her feel more comfortable at his place, and she had been too difficult trying the same for him.

Zuko shook his head and told her that she didn't need to apologise. He was glad he hadn't unintentionally offended her, as he had been worried to intrude too much and causing too much change.

Katara bit down on her lip and looked around her flat. "My mum always did a lot of that stuff at home, and then with Aang, we just both weren't bothered that much by some chaos, but I think I'm old enough to keep more order now." She nodded to herself and then grimaced. "After all, my room should bear some difference to my teenage room. "

Zuko frowned and noticed that his room looked actually quite similar to his teenage room.

Together with martial arts and working out, cleaning had been a method of overcoming aggressions to Zuko. Keeping control of the cleanliness and order of a room had felt good. After all, the rest of his life had not been in his control at all, and everything in what he had once believed had just been taken from him.

He opened his mouth to tell Katara something about it, but she looked rather pleased as she looked around her tidy kitchen, and Zuko didn't want to ruin her good mood. He kept his mouth shut but felt still glad that they wouldn't fight about tidiness anymore.

It felt good that they had gotten over the threshold of the first fight, even though Zuko didn't feel like they had really fought. Maybe compromising didn't need to have a fight happening before.

Katara turned around to him and looped her arms around his throat, grinning up at him. "After all, I am an adult woman now, searching for a job, and in a serious relationship. This is bent to cause changes."

Zuko took a deep breath when she said, "serious relationship".

"But you and Aang...?"

Katara frowned and Zuko could have hit himself.

"Me and Aang was... at least it is now to me more of a teenager thing. I mean, he was my best friend, and the relationship with Jet was disastrous, so Aang felt safe and secure." She looked down at his chest. "I knew that there would always be the friendship behind everything else. We just lasted longer than high school because we went to Ethiopia together, I guess. It brought us closer together, but... We drifted apart again as soon as we were back here. And I..." She bit down on her lip. "I never thought it would... last, you know? Not forever."

Zuko nodded slowly. Did this mean she thought this about their relationship? Was their relationship even old enough to say something like this?

"I don't think that I wasn't serious in my previous relationships," Zuko admitted. "But I know that I..." he swallowed. "I never loved anyone as much as I love you. And I know we haven't been together for long, but... I know this, and well, this is how I feel."

Katara rose to her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. "I feel the same," she whispered against his lips, deepened their kiss and pushed him towards the bed.

oOo

Katara decided not to revisit any of the places where she had searched work in winter. None of these people had ever seemed particularly nice to her, so she had no desire to go there again.

Opposed to her bad luck earlier this year, this time when she searched for a job, it went all better. Zuko apparently had nothing to do, because he helped her and insisted on accompanying her to the places where she had her interviews. He had agreed on waiting outside for her, because he was much too recognisable.

In an older part of the capital, where the houses had been left untouched by industrialisation for a few hundred years, Katara was looking for an inn. The houses were built of dark wood and had many embellishments on their walls and roofs. The roofs were a dark red colour, and the streets between the houses were broad and lined with small trees and flowers. Every house looked like it was an old theatre.

A little on the outskirts, Katara finally found the inn. She had never been this far away from the city centre, but behind the inn, she could see fields and small hills stretching to the horizon. The inn was a wonderful, picturesque building with lots of trees around, and slightly elevated because it stood atop a hill.

Katara couldn't close her mouth. "I had no idea the capital has such beautiful spots."

"Well, this here didn't always belong to the capital. This area used to be a village, which was swallowed up at some time during the last century. All mayors tried to industrialise this village, but the inhabitants always revolted and formed petitions against it. The only reason why it still looks like this, is because it attracts tourists from all over the world," Zuko explained.

Katara smiled. "I like it!" she declared.

"Of course, you do."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She frowned slightly.

Zuko leaned over to kiss her cheek. "You have a weakness for old things. You're always wary of the new stuff."

Katara rolled her eyes, but grinned. She took hold of his hand. "That must be the reason why I love you, then."

Zuko dramatically rolled his eyes. "One year and a half. Really, that's fine."

"Not if you were fourteen, and I was twelve," Katara replied, grinning.

"I bet you were really mature as a twelve-year-old. But sure, that would have been weird. I also definitely didn't look around middle school to find a girlfriend."

Katara kissed him one last time. "I'm sure you didn't. So, I have to go, or I'll be late." She nervously looked towards the entrance of the Inn.

Zuko gave her a soft smile. "You'll be great, Katara. "

She smiled back and nodded. "I'll call you when I'm done, alright? "

He nodded.

Tying her hair up in a ponytail, Katara walked towards the entrance of the Inn. The door wasn't closed, so Katara could already see inside the building, before she even stepped over the threshold.

It looked exactly the way Katara imagined an old Western Province house to look like. Dark and red. Everything was made of wood, and there was a red carpet in the foyer, as well as red armchairs to the right. To the left, there was a counter for the reception, littered with small souvenir trinkets, post cards, and a guest book.

The woman behind the counter had light grey hair and was about five inches smaller than Katara. She had a wrinkled, but kind looking face, and gave Katara a bright smile. "Hello, dear. How can I help you?"

Katara instantly felt at ease. Yes, working here would be nice. "Hello. I am Katara Qinu, I believe we talked on the phone because of the job interview?"

The woman's smile turned brighter. "Ah, yes, Katara! Welcome to my inn! You can call me Hama."

Katara smiled. "Nice to meet you."


Ooooohhhh! Not a real cliffhanger, but something like that. At least you know that things will get interesting soon:D (evil grin).

There was talk of alcohol and other drugs. So, what I think of this is pretty irrelevant, but the fact is that in this fic we have young people , ranging from nineteen to twenty-three, and if they go partying, the average person at that age does drink alcohol at a party. I decided that Aang doesn't, because it is hard to imagine and thus hard to write about. Anyway, Katara's and the other's opinions on alcohol and drugs are not meant to reflect mine. Do not get influenced by what fictional characters think about alcohol in stories. Know your limits, know the law, always be with trustworthy friends, and never let your drink out of your sight! Don't give into peer pressure. You don't have to drink or smoke to be cool or accepted by other people. Stick to your own rules and opinions, and people will respect you.

I will also soon reveal what's going on with Toph, and I just want to point out that while I never really liked Maiko, and there were times I didn't like Mai, I didn't mean for her and Katara to be like rivals in this fic. I believe that Katara would be hesitant towards Mai, but if they had to spend time together, I'm sure they'd get along. Katara worries, of course, that Mai still wants Zuko, because it's a normal reaction. No one likes meeting exes. Mai doesn't want Zuko anymore, though. She broke up with him, and she just had her eyes narrowed, because she was annoyed at Azula and suspicious about whether it had been a coincidence meeting her ex, who is the brother of her best friend at a club, or whether Azula meant to meet her brother there to cause some trouble. Which obviously didn't work.

I have absolutely no idea why I included this passage on Katara and Zuko arguing about order and finding compromises. I just wrote, and this came out. Maybe I meant to show some normal, but not happy Zutara for a change? A situation that is not dramatic, and not happy, but normal, and how they work through it together? I still don't know for sure.

Also, feminism is like a little beast staring over my shoulder at my screen and always nagging me about whether something can be seen as anti-feminist. And I realised that everything can be seen as anti-feminist. Katara offers Zuko a blow job in this chapter. She enjoys bringing him pleasure. So, when it is about his pleasure and not about hers, is that anti-feminist? Or is it anti-feminist when she 'submits' to him to focus on her own pleasure? I don't know! I just want to write a love story, and these stupid thoughts are always entering my head! I don't want to write anything anti-feminist, but it had become hard for me to find anything that is definitely not anti-feminist. Or maybe I'm just too critical. Does anyone have an opinion on this?

Til next time!:)


Answers to reviews:

To uchihaNaruto247: Good, because this was not the last happy Zutara relationship chapter. But there will definitely be more plot action in the next one. Haha, thanks, I thought Katara would definitely be someone who likes to tease with her body. Thanks for leaving a review!:D

To chimbombo: Thank you for your review! But, it had been two months when you wrote your review, not two years, so you don't have to worry, but thanks:) It was just a really stressful semester for me, but I'm fine. Uncle Iroh... I could never abandon this fic without him having his appearance first. He will appear, I have that planned, but it might take a while. Thank you, I hope you're okay and healthy, too!

To Mckennahales: Ta-daaahhh! I think this was the longest time in which I didn't update, but I did update this story in the end...