A/N: Revised 5/14/18
1 week later
Zuko is in his private office with his council of fire nation peacekeepers when there's a knock at the door.
"Come in."
A palace worker enters and bows. "Your majesty, my apologies for interrupting. A guest has arrived to speak with you, says it's important. Should I send them in?"
"Now's not a good time," Zuko responds, "what does this concern?"
"I didn't ask specifics, my lord. It's the water nation ambassador."
Zuko's head perks up upon hearing this. "Send her in."
Katara's silhouette makes its way into the doorway. She's wearing a traditionally fire nation outfit, but made with indigo fabrics in place of the normal red. Her hair is down, showing off its impressive length and shine. Most notable to Zuko was the lack of a necklace. He smiles at her before turning back to his council.
"You all may go, we'll continue our discussion at next week's meeting."
The council collectively bows before exiting the room, walking past Katara. Her eyes are locked to Zuko's until everyone else has left the room, where she then enters and closes the door behind her.
Zuko practically jumps from his seat and rushes to her. His hands grab her face before his lips meet hers. Katara kisses him back passionately, relishing in this long-awaited moment. Zuko's hand frantically move to around her waist, where he pulls her as close as physically possible. He's practically lifting her off the ground. Katara's hands wrap behind him and up his shoulder blades, grabbing on to keep herself steady. Her lips part as Zuko's tongue dives into her, and she reciprocates. Zuko's hair has grown near his waist, which Katara notices as she grips a handful behind him. Zuko is desperate to feel every inch of her; he glides his hand up her back and fiercely presses her against him. Their arms are wrapped so tightly around each other that they can't tell where one begins and the other ends.
Their kisses are long and deep, fervent with the desire to catch up on all the missed years. They slow down as both Katara and Zuko realize they're running out of air. Eventually, they stop, keeping their faces touching as they breathe heavily. They kiss once more before opening their eyes for the first time since embracing.
"You're here," Zuko whispers.
"I'm here."
Zuko and Katara sit underneath a tree in the palace garden. A fountain featuring a bronze dragon in the center streaming sparkling water sits across the way from them, just close enough to allow the hot mist to dust the grass around their blanket. Around the perimeter are newly planted flowers to celebrate the spring season. Flame lilies have been planted and the bright yellow-red blooms have crawled up the length of the columns, making it look as though they were on fire. Other forms of red flowers are in small bunches around the place.
Katara turns to Zuko and giggles. "Do you know of any other color besides red?"
"Hey, I left the decorators to the flowers. Don't blame me."
She smiles as she leans in for a kiss. Zuko runs his hand through his hair and settles it on her neck. When their lips parts he quietly whines at the loss of her touch before pulling her back in for another. They separate and look at each other.
"I can't believe that you're sitting here with me," Zuko says softly.
"I can," Katara responds, "I've been picturing it in my dreams. But now I know they were wrong, because this feels so much better than I'd imagined."
She brushes a strand of hair from Zuko's face. His hair is half-up rather than in a bun now that it's grown down to his sternum. She preferred it this way. The silky raven locks accent his sharp jaw, which he now shaves daily. Katara gazes at his face in silence while they sit in the shade of the oak tree. She's taking it all in, embossing these memories into her mind.
"So, Katara," says Zuko, "I haven't asked because I'm not sure if it's my business, but I'm wondering what you told Aang before you left."
Katara pauses before responding. "I told him the truth."
"And what is that, exactly?"
"Well," Katara looks down, "I told him that I shouldn't have accepted his proposal… that it wasn't fair to him to marry him if I knew it wasn't what I wanted."
Zuko looks at her in silence, prompting Katara to continue. "He was confused, of course… he didn't see how unhappy I was despite our many years together. But, in the end, I think that's exactly what helped him understand." Katara looks up. "He should have noticed, but he didn't. He was so blinded by his own responsibilities that he didn't see what I needed."
"What is it that you need?" Zuko asks earnestly.
Katara pauses before looking at him. No one has ever asked that of her before, so the question came as a bit of a shock. She bites her lip contemplatively while she attempts to put the years of unfulfilled need into words. Finally, she has her answer.
"An equal." Katara grabs Zuko's hand. "Someone who has their own duties, but includes being my partner as one of them. With Aang, I was just the Avatar's girl. He didn't feel like he had to work to make me happy; he just expected me to be satisfied simply by being with him. I, on the other hand, had to take care of him to make him happy. It wasn't balanced, and I think he saw that. Once I pointed it out, of course."
Zuko leans in a kisses the tip of Katara's nose. "I promise, I'll be the one taking care of you this time around."
Katara gently places a hand on the center of Zuko's chest, feeling the scratchy texture of his chest hair through the paper-thin shirt he donned instead of his suffocating Fire Lord uniform. "I don't need to be taken care of, Zuko." When she turns her head up to explain further, she's met with a soft smirk on those perfect lips.
"I know that. You're incredibly strong and can handle yourself just fine. I just have one critique."
Katara raises an eyebrow suspiciously. "Excuse me?"
A chuff comes from Zuko as he lowers his lips to kiss the tender skin at the base of Katara's jaw, tracing his tongue along the warm vein all the way to her clavicle. He lifts his face away before he manages to leave a mark and looks at her through hooded eyes, still wearing that smirk from earlier.
"You can't seem to catch a euphemism."
With Katara's back against the tree, Zuko leans in to kiss her and pins her head against the tree. He's laying on his side next to her, his left arm holding himself up and his right hand hovering over her hip. Their tongues intertwine as Zuko's hand creeps its way to the hem of her pants, playing with the elastic briefly before he slips his hand underneath the fabric and settles on her center.
Katara gasps into the kiss and pulls away slightly. "Zuko, not here…" she whispers, despite her body yelling at her for trying to stop the moment.
"Why not?" His mouth moves to her neck, nibbling at the skin. "It's a private garden, no one will interrupt us."
Zuko's middle finger rubs on Katara's clit in a circular motion and she begins to writhe under him. Agni, yes. Katara has waited so long for this. The touch of Zuko's hand is even better than she'd imagined, hot enough to remind her of the intense fire inside of him. She feels her whole body give in to the scalding sensation of his fingertips against the bundle of nerves hidden within her excited folds. He feels her wettening as he speeds up, her hips grinding into him with a fervent need to feel his magic touch. Yes, like that, don't stop. Katara is gripping onto Zuko's hair while she pants into his neck and she notices that the skin on the tops of his shoulders has begun to blush. Zuko moves his hand further and slips a finger inside of her, eliciting a moan. He moves in and out, still rubbing her clit with his thumb. Another finger enters. Katara's legs are quivering as her body begs for more. Faster. Harder. Quicker. She feels a rush flow through her as Zuko pushes her to her climax much sooner than she expected, all of the tension in her body releasing at once in an explosion of pleasure.
Her hips shudder as the wave passes, to which Zuko smirks at her. In a devious response, Katara grabs his bulge with a firm enough grip to jolt his hips at the sudden touch and a groan escapes him. She moves her palm slowly up and down his length, relishing in the throbbing pulses she can feel through the fabric.
Zuko pulls his hand up out of Katara's panties and uses it to yank down her pants by the waistband, removing them from her completely. Katara follows suit and pulls Zuko's pants down to his calves. He grabs her ass with both hands and pulls her onto his lap as he sits up on his knees, pinning Katara's back against the tree. His exposed member presses hard against her stomach and she finds herself whining in anticipation. Finally. Their eyes don't leave each other as Katara lifts up her hips and aligns herself to his member. Zuko sees her eyes flutter as she sits down until her ass is flush with his thighs. Her heat envelopes him in totality, causing Zuko to murmur an obscenity under his breath.
Katara's nails dig into his shoulders as he begins thrusting into her, eager to make up for all the years of lost time. Her back is scratching against the tree bark, but she doesn't mind. The mild pain heightens the sensation of Zuko's long shaft filling her. Every part of Katara's body is touching Zuko, yet she still yearns to feel even closer. A hunger deep within her ignites with each moan and gasp and she lets out a noise she didn't recognize.
Zuko leans in to kiss Katara and their lips stay locked through the movements. Their bodies are in sync, her hips rocking to meet his as he plunges deeper into her center. The energy between them swirls and spins, coursing like a river but singeing them like a flame. Each slam of Zuko's hips drives Katara closer to the edge, until she yells out his name as she finishes. His grip tightens as his thrusts become erratic before she feels his warmth fill her. He calls out her name as well.
They wrap their arms around each other as they stay united, trying to catch their breath. Zuko looks up at Katara and brushes the sweaty hair from her face, and she kisses his forehead.
"I love you," she says softly. A smile crosses his face.
"And I love you."