Title: Fighting for You
Pairings: ultimately Zutara
Rating: PG17/M
Warnings: Modern AU. Language, some violence. Lemon ahoy!
Summary: Katara is the Princess of the SWT, a branch of The Tribe, a waterbending mafia based out of the North Pole, establishing themselves in Ba Sing Se. Zuko the banished prince of The Nation, a firebending syndicate, is involved in the amateur fight scene of Ba Sing Se. Katara's financial interests turn physical as they raise up in ranks but glory has a price when Zuko's past comes back.
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They both knew that she could easily bend the water from her clothing. Instead she chose to let him undress her, savoring the feeling of being in his command. He peeled the sweater from her chest, both laughing when it caught against her nose and when it got stuck on her watch. Those strong hands gently slid down her body to unbutton her jeans. He stared intently into her eyes as he shimmied them off her tight body letting them land on the tiled floor of the laundry room with a plop. Katara half expected him to lift her onto the wash machine and ravish her, instead he picked up her clothes, threw them in the dryer, grabbed her hand and yanked her toward his bedroom. With a giggle, she was thrown onto the bed to be followed by that devilish man. Her hands raked into his silky black hair, his lips pressing firmly against hers. Katara didn't know how she could possibly live without this feeling as the heat from his body warmed against hers. His hands moved along her body, heated just so that whatever remaining moisture was evaporated from her flesh leaving behind goosebumps. Then his lips landed on the sensitive area of her belly, kissing so sweetly yet so hungrily, his fingers digging into her hips to hold onto her forever.
"I missed you," she panted, looking down the length of her body to meet those golden eyes. "I'm sorry, Zuko. I know I should have talked to you, but I…" He stopped her there, rushing up her body to cradle her head in his palm, twining his fingers in the nape of her neck and landing delicate kisses along her cheeks and lips. "Don't leave me again." His words so fragile that it made Katara want to cry. She didn't mean to hurt him and she felt like an even bigger idiot than earlier.
She pulled away just enough to make sure he saw the sincerity in her expression and promised she wouldn't. "Not ever." She wanted this man for the rest of her life. She wanted that kid of his, that sweet little girl that needed a mom and Katara swooped in happily to take that role. She hadn't lied when she said Liang would make a great big sister. Family was her life and with this broken one, together they could make it whole.
In a haze as he kissed up and down her body, sending current after current along her spine, he mentioned that she could be as loud as she wanted to be.
"Huh?" her brain only half registering his words, the other half wanting to tell him to use his mouth for better purposes, like that spot- oh La!- right… right there.
"Liang's at Uncle Jet's. So we have the house to ourselves." Katara knew he loved it when she was loud. It was boost to the ego. Of course, she loved it when he was loud too. Made her feel like she was doing her job well enough to make him scream. Speaking of…
His fingers glided along the slick flesh between her legs, lips suckling gently on her thighs, the back of her knee, and the spot just above where his fingers were doing their magic. She could hardly breathe. Then his tongue, oh spirits, that tongue. He twirled it over her clit and she nearly bolted off the mattress. It flicked like a serpent, the devil. Faster and faster and just when she was almost there he pulled away, examining the progress he made, watching her body bloom just for him. Slower and slower, his fingers moved over the lips up and down, stroking her, pausing at the entrance to her body. It circled and Katara shifted downward desperate to feel penetration. But her lover was enacting penance. "Please, Zuko. Oh, Spirits. Pleeease!" Her body gyrated in desperation. She needed to feel that fullness. It wasn't his prick but a finger or two would do nicely right about now. Just when she was about to give up hope, he jammed a finger inside her, pumping, pumping, milking her body, lips wrapped around her clit sucking fiercely until she was arching again, breathy pants that escalated into full on screams as she came with a mind-blowing intensity. Zuko didn't relent. A second finger dove in and he blew against her clit with heated breath then teased the bud with his teeth as the second orgasm ripped through her. Only after the third, did she push him away, begging him to stop. She needed to catch her breath.
Katara loved tasting herself on his lips; it was a nice blend of him and her. But she wanted to taste him fully, shoving him onto his back she kissed along his abs, flicking at his nipples with her tongue, dipping into his belly button, tugging at those hairs that led to the magnificent cock still hidden underneath the pajama bottoms. She kissed along his covered length, nuzzling the cotton and giving a gentle nip here and there. Tugging the strings, she loosened the pants and with his help, slid them off his hips and onto the floor. He was gorgeous with a proud strength, and yet there was gentleness to him that appealed to her. His hands rested behind his head and he watched with fascination as Katara tenderly placing kisses everywhere except where she knew he wanted her too. Her absence had been enough torture so without further ado she licked the swollen head, gently sucking its fullness, then moving down to take as much of him in her mouth as she could. She loved his taste, the way he smelled, musky and manly and a scent that was all Zuko. Her head bobbed up and down, feeling the way his body would twitch when she focused on the tip compared to when she took him all the way down and when she licked his sac. To her chagrin though he didn't allow her to go down on him for very long. He leaned up, pushing her back onto the bed and cupped her head, kissing her again and again until both of them were breathless. Reaching over to the nightstand, he pulled out the condom. There was something strangely erotic about watching a man put one on, the way he gripped himself, stroking downward the entire length, then seeing the hungry, readied look in his eyes.
Zuko kissed her again, positioning himself between her legs. She loved the feeling of her thighs pressed against his hips. She gasped as he pushed inside of her. Oh, La! This is what she missed. Being surrounded by him, feeling themselves so intimately connected, being one with someone she honestly cared about- loved- and who loved her back. She knew he did from the way he looked at her, from his kisses, from his whispers as he told her how much she was missed, from their laughter when things slipped, when noses hitting, and when she moved to another position nearly rolling off the bed and he had to catch her. He would always catch her and she him.
The lovers spent the next two days enjoying the house to themselves since Jet had taken Liang for the weekend. Jet had planned it, knowing full well that Katara would come back to Zuko and knowing that they needed private time to discuss whatever was going on between the two of them as well as the other inevitable activities. Such as initiatingthe kitchen counter, the couch, the hot tub, and several other places throughout his home. They had discussed the next match and Zuko updated her on his training and what a hard ass Toph was. "Of course, I get my real workout with you," he teased, hugging her around the waist as he pressed himself against her firm backside.
Sunday evening, dressed more appropriately than boxers and/or t-shirts, they heard a car pull up. Liang bounded through the door like a rabbiroo with Jet lugging her little suitcase behind him. "Katara!" she shouted, hugging the waterbender tightly, "I missed you. Was your business trip okay? Guess what? There's new koala-otters at the zoo. Can we go see them?"
Katara brushed the girl's hair back and said of course, she couldn't wait.
Jet stood in the kitchen watching. He nodded his head towards the two ladies. "Glad to see she's back." It was more a comment than a question. Zuko smiled shyly, not wanting to divulge too much. But Jet knew.
After Jet had gone, and Katara who needed to get a change of clothes and take care of things since she was back, Zuko tackled the laundry. As he pulled out Liang's clothes from her suitcase and making sure the pockets were empty, something hard fell onto the tile floor of the laundry room. Thinking it was just one of Liang's toys that snuck in between her clothes, he leaned down to pick it up. It was a coin.
His eyes grew wide. His face paled. His heart stopped. What remaining good feelings from the weekend with Katara were kicked to the curb.
The dragon symbol on one side and the "fire" character on the other. The Nation's calling card.
His mind whirled. How on earth had this gotten in his daughter's things? What were they doing close to her? He'd kill them if they touched her. After moment of shock, he yelled out for Liang. She finally arrived, obviously terribly involved with catching Pokémon. Zuko held the coin up for his daughter to see.
"Liang, what is this?" he demanded his voice harsher than it would normally be.
"I dunno," she answered glancing up briefly then going back to tapping the bottom screen with the stylus.
"Answer me, Liang!" Her gentle green eyes met her father's and for the first time she was scared of him. "Where did you get this?"
He watched her intently. He knew her signs for lying, like him she was horrible at it. There were none there. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know, Daddy," she squeaked, tucking her DS in tight to her body. "I never seen it before. Honest, Daddy. Am I in trouble?"
His heart broke a bit and he pulled her in for a hug, stroking her hair. "No sweetie, you're not in trouble." Think, Zuko, think. She had stayed at Jet's. Wait a sec. Jet was dating Mai now. Mai had been friends with Azula, was she still? Was Azula at Jet's? What the hell was going on? "When you were at Uncle Jet's was there anyone else there?"
Liang thought a moment then brightened, "Yeah! There was a tall lady. Uncle Jet called her his special friend but they were kissing and stuff so I think she was his girlfriend. She was really nice. She made yummy fruit tarts. I've never had those before." Yup, that was Mai. Zuko mentally laughed. The girl still liked fruit tarts. Liang continued, "And then Sunday morning Smellerbee and Longshot stopped by with the baby. He was so cute! Uncle said I looked good holding him." I think about making her a big sister. Focus. "Then some other lady stopped by to pick up Uncle Jet's friend. She wasn't there very long. But she was asking who my dad was. I told her it was you. I didn't like the way she smiled at me. It was scary. I was glad when she left." Azula!
Zuko was on guard. "Did she do anything to you?"
"No. Do you know her Dad?"
"It's not important. But you'll let me know if you ever see her again?"
"Yeah, okay. Can I go now?"
"Yeah." Once she was gone, he stroked his chin and stared at the coin. He needed to make a phone call.
"What does it mean?" Katara asked, admiring the details of the coin. The dragon was kind of cool looking despite its ominous meaning.
Zuko sat on the arm of the sofa, leaning next to where Katara sat cross legged. She'd come over as soon as he called. "It's what The Nation sends to someone to remind them."
She looked up at him, puzzled. This was not what her people did. There was no beating around the bush, you either knew what was going on or you didn't. "Remind them of what?"
"That they fucked up and need to watch their back," Zuko sighed heavily.
"Sooo. What does this mean for you?"
"They're here."
"Well we already knew that," Katara flipped the coin letting it land on the back of her hand. A childish motion that for some reason Zuko became very interested in.
"What side's up?"
She showed him "dragon". He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "I didn't know you were superstitious."
"Not usually but old habits die hard. Dragon side means good luck."
"So this squiggly thing means bad luck?"
Zuko traced the symbol with his finger. "It means death."
Katara's eyes went wide and, being the superstitious one, she was glad it was dragon side up. "What do we do?" Katara asked her voice tight, ready for battle.
He simply shrugged, "Just wait I guess. All we can do. Besides we've got too much going with the next match to think about this."
"Wait for what though?" Katara burst. "Are we supposed to sit on our asses and wait for them to make the next move? Just go on pretending this doesn't mean anything?"
Zuko flung his arms out in frustration. "You think I just want to sit here? Well I'd love to go out and get them. We don't know where they are-"
"Jet might know. His new girlfriend is part of them, isn't she?"
"I don't know, Katara," he swept his hand through his hair. He'd gone so long without these people in his life and then like a flash they were back in it. He just wanted to fight, make the money, and live happily ever after, preferably with Katara.
"Fuck that," she snorted, pacing back and forth on the rug. "I'm not going to just wait for them to hurt you again or Liang."
Zuko grabbed her arm, trying to settle her down a bit. "We have to wait. We need them to make the first move."
"This" she shoved the coin at him, "in your daughter's things was the first move. If they so much as… as…well I don't know what. But if I see them, they're dead."
He smiled despite himself, "Have I told you I loved you lately?"
The comment threw Katara off guard. She blinked a couple times then smiled back. "I'm just watching out for my family."
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Short chapter is short.
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