Hi guys! So I don't know what's up with right now, but it's not showing me this chapter despite including it in my chapter stats. This is just a reupload to make sure you all can see it.

*NSFW*

Zuko and Katara had spent little time apart since her arrival in the Fire Nation. Hours upon hours, they were interlocked beneath the sheets, making up for all of the time lost. Their bodies learned one another with each touch, each kiss. Zuko had dismissed most of his Lordly duties to continue on with their reunion. His ivory skin was scattered with marks the color of his scar, Katara's way of claiming her territory. She was grateful to not have any pressing matters, for it was far too hot to wear a neckpiece in an attempt to cover Zuko's own marks. They reveled in one another; no time was spent apart.

Now a week after her initial arrival, Katara is still making herself at home in Zuko's quarters. A wing of the palace had been sectioned off for Zuko's personal space, where it was treated as a private home. The casual atmosphere made Katara feel less as though she were in the home of a royal.

Katara is at the stovetop, cooking breakfast for the two of them. Strips of hippo cow meat are sizzling in the cast iron skillet as they saturate in a blend of butter and herbs. She is wearing a pair of red silk pajamas that Zuko had sent for her; Katara had only packed day clothes, forgetting that she would most likely be joining Zuko for an extended stay. The fabric is embroidered with golden thread that glittered in the sunlight. These are quite elegant, she thinks, as she savours the spoiling.

A shuffling of footsteps can be heard as Zuko enters the kitchen. Katara does not look up from the stovetop as she greets him. "Good morning, sleeping beauty," she teases. She has been up for hours while Zuko slept in.

Muscular arms wrap around her waist from behind, hands running up her shirt to trace along her ribcage. Zuko nuzzles his face into her neck. A soft nip at the skin sends an electric shock through Katara's body. His touch is still so electric, even after they've exhausted themselves. Would she ever get enough? She never wants to leave his arms, although she knows that this mini vacation can't last forever.

A firm item presses against Katara's lower back. She gasps and swirls around, just now noticing that Zuko is fully nude. He chuckles at her surprised expression.

"You're naked."

"Well, to be fair, I wasn't expecting you to be wearing anything, either," Zuko says as he leads a trail of kisses across her collarbone. "It's much more efficient to just keep the clothes off, wouldn't you say?"

Katara pushes away Zuko's hands as they attempt to lift up her shirt. "I'm not risking hot grease popping onto my chest," she warns.

A smirks spreads across Zuko's face. His hands migrate to her waistband and begin to pull her shorts downward. Katara grips his forearms.

"What did I just say?"

"You didn't say anything about your bottoms."

Katara's shorts and panties are on the floor before Zuko finishes his sentence. Firm hands grab either of her hips, where she is then spun around, her butt now against the island. She leans back, her hands gripping the edge of the counter. Zuko kisses his way down her torso until he's on his knees. His tongue reaches her clit and circles the sensitive nerve. Katara's heat pulses and swells, yearning for more. She breathes curses as Zuko slides a hand up her thigh and traces a finger along her folds. The teasing continues until Zuko can feel how dripping wet she is. By then, sliding in three fingers is a breeze. Katara's hips grind into his face, her legs shaking.

Zuko pulls away, his mouth covered in her dampness, and lifts her up by the backs of her thighs onto the countertop. He grabs his cock, now fully erect and throbbing in Katara's direction, and positions it at her entrance before slowly stretching her. They both moan at the sensation. Fervent thrusts send Katara's head back as she lets out an animalistic noise, drowning out the sound of Zuko's hips slamming into her slick thighs. As she reaches climax, Zuko feels her cunt tighten around his member, practically pulling his seed out and filling her. He shudders through his final thrusts before they both still, panting and sweating. Still inside of her, Zuko cups Katara's face and places a kiss on the tip of her nose.

A popping noise is quickly followed by Zuko flinching away from the stove. A drop of grease had jumped from the pan and landed on his exposed cheek. Katara laughs and tosses herself off of the counter to grab a hand towel and dampen it under the cold faucet. She wrings it out before Zuko snatches it and holds it to the red, tender skin.

"If this turns into another scar, I'm gonna be pissed," Zuko mutters.

"At least all of your other ones have interesting stories. It would suck having to explain that this one came from brilliant kitchen sex," teases Katara as she re-dresses herself.

Zuko perks up at the compliment. "Brilliant, huh?"

"Don't get too cocky now, mister ass-burn," Katara says as she turns off the stove top. She feels Zuko's sarcastic glare from behind.

A knock from the door comes echoing into the kitchen.

"A moment!" Zuko calls out.

Quickly, Zuko runs to the bedroom to retrieve his robe. It's made of a thick cashmere dyed a dark maroon, lined with what looks like beige wool incorporated with gold flecks. Even royal sleepwear looks more elegant than common clothes, Katara thinks. Zuko rounds the corner to the front door as he finishes tying his robe, escaping just out of Katara's view from the kitchen. A loud creak can be heard, followed by hushed voices.

"...arrived… lovely..."

"...interested…"

"We've expressed… Lady... "

"Just tell… wait… invite more…"

Katara puts herself to work on the eggs when she hears the door close. If she looks busy, Zuko won't suspect that she tried to eavesdrop-hopefully. Zuko reenters the kitchen, a hand running through his hair and a frustrated look on his face.

"Who was that?"

"Oh, no one, just a member of the privy council."

"That doesn't exactly sound like 'no one' to me," Katara jokes. "What did they want?"

"Just to check in on me is all," Zuko says casually.

"Really? A privy council member, doing what a palace worker could do?" Katara raises an eyebrow. "What is this really about?"

"I already told you, it was nothing important," he retorts, "just drop it."

Katara crosses her arms and bumps out a hip. "Can you not talk to me like that? You're being ridiculous."

A sighs escapes Zuko. "You're right, I'm sorry. Let's not ruin this morning."

Bitter, but still feeling the rush of hormones from that amazing fuck, Katara accepts the apology and continues with breakfast. After they eat, they decide to cool down with a visit to the palace indoor pool. It's located in a terrace in the center of the palace, glass walls looking into the hallways around the perimeter and an open sky above. Katara playfully tosses Zuko around in small waves, availing herself of her superior swimming skills. She didn't expect a firebender to be half as good in the water as Zuko is, but he's still no match for her.

At around high noon, Zuko exits the pool and excuses himself, claiming he has business to attend to and needs to look presentable. Katara continues to sunbathe until she grows tired of the heat and retreats to Zuko's chambers.

As she opens the door, her eyes meet with those of a worker cleaning the living space. The worker quickly stands up straight to bow before her.

"Your Excellency, I beg your pardon for the intrusion. I saw that you and the Lord Zuko were out in the terrace and took the opportunity to straighten up the chambers."

"It's no trouble, you were just doing your job. Thank you for cleaning," she smiles. The worker nods before getting back to work. Katara heads to the washroom, only to pause midway and turn back towards the worker. "What is your name?"

"Seri, Your Excellency."

"Please, Seri, there's no need to call me that, Katara is fine."

"Yes, Your Excellency-I mean, Miss Katara."

Katara chuckles. This young girl reminds her of her mentees down at the Southern Water Tribe. She is sure that, were she not a palace worker, she would speak with more humor and spunk.

Seri attempts to continue her work, only to be interrupted by Katara yet again. "Seri, are you aware of the Fire Lord's daily schedule?"

"Yes, Miss Katara. I'm aware of his major commitments so that I may come and clean without encroachment."

"If I were to ask you of Lord Zuko's plans today, would you be able to tell me?"

"Well, Miss Katara, I normally would not, as that's not public knowledge. But you are no commoner. Were it pertinent, however, I would be more than willing to tell you."

Katara thinks on this for a moment. This is a rare opportunity for her. With Zuko not around, she could ask Seri anything and he would be none the wiser. The question, however, was if it were the right thing to do. Could she take advantage of her public position for a personal matter?

Yes, yes she could.

Katara clears her throat and puffs up her chest slightly. "Well, Seri, it is indeed pertinent to my… situation. I need to know if Lord Zuko had anything scheduled for today and, if so, what it was. For official business, of course."

"Lord Zuko did have a breakfast appointment earlier today. The privy council has been, for the past few months, arranging for Lord Zuko to meet with the eligible daughters of Fire Nation nobility, in attempts to find him a Fire Lady."

Katara's heart drops. "A Fire Lady?"

"Yes, Miss Katara. It has been many years since his coronation, and for him to be unmarried this far into his reign has worried the council members. They request an heir as soon as possible. Lord Zuko asked to postpone the meeting to lunch time, which is why I took to cleaning now instead of earlier."

Although delicately spoken, Seri's words still struck Katara like a dagger. Zuko is courting women? After the week they've been together, Katara has been under the assumption that they were now an exclusive item. So why is he still entertaining these girls for a place next to him-or under him?

Katara gulps down her disappointment and nods at Seri. "Thank you, that is most helpful. You may get back to work." Seri politely bows before returning to her duties.

Katara makes her way to the washroom and strips down for her shower. Red and purple marks decorate her body, all of which are Zuko's doing. Although she had viewed them as sexy before, she now feels disgusting. The warm water runs down her face as Katara takes in its comforting touch. She takes this time in her natural habitat to escape from the dark corners of her mind, wishing this shower wouldn't end.

She jolts at the sound of the washroom door handle rattling. A voice can be heard from the other side of the thick wood.

"Katara? Why is the door locked? I was planning on joining you."

Katara turns off the water and wraps herself in a towel. She feels awkward in the red fabric and wishes she were at least in something blue. She opens the door to Zuko, dressed in a becoming Fire Lord uniform. Katara's stomach sinks thinking of a young, noble girl swooning over the muscles his shirt so expertly highlighted.

"Sorry, Zuko, but I just finished. I'm going to go get dressed, you shower," Katara says as she steps out of the doorway. Zuko grabs her hand as she passes and pulls her into him. He kisses her gently.

"Maybe next time, then," he winks. Katara feigns a smile and retreats to the bedroom. A sense of relief comes over her as she slips on the blue satin ao dai. Although the color of her clothes shouldn't matter, she is livid at herself for associating with the Fire Nation so heavily. The honorable Fire Lord Zuko played her, and she fell for all of his tricks. She has not felt this hurt since the crystal cavern, where Zuko first chose his royalty over her. This time was no different: instead of contemplating the idea of a Water Nation bride, he was instead using her for only Agni knows what until he could find a proper wife.

Now, Katara hadn't assumed that they were automatically betrothed after only a week together, but what else could this have led to? They would either marry or break up, and ending things with Aang would not have been worth another failed relationship. If she had known Zuko's intentions, his true intentions, she would never have considered coming.

It felt too late now. Her heart, heavy as it is, is still ablaze with her love for Zuko. And soon, he would walk into the room (most likely without even so much as a towel) and flash those golden eyes at her. Those damn eyes.

Katara feels so overwhelmed that tears calmly roll down her cheeks. Emotionally drained, she decides to lay on the bed and take a nap, hoping to fall asleep before Zuko returned.