Avatar: The Warring Earth
Book Three—Water
By Twins of the Pen
Disclaimer: Avatar in itself belongs to Nickelodeon and Bryan Konietzko/Michael DiMartino. The only things that belong to Twins of the Pen are the original characters.
Shun, on the other hand, was less than delighted with this evening out, once they actually entered the club. The sub woofers were giving him a headache, it was stifling hot, there were too many people, and every man that walked by ZanYi did a double-take, their jaws hitting the floor, taken or not. Shun almost wanted to shove his jacket back onto the lieutenant.
"I immediately regret this decision," Shun called over the music, his squinted eyes trying to keep track of Tiki and Syaoran. "It's too… everything in here." Why Tiki wanted to come to such a place—though the giant waterbender was hazarding the guess of because she wanted to show off her apparent dancing skills—he would never know for sure.
ZanYi fixed Shun with a deadpanned expression, crossing her arms. "No, really, Shun?" she clipped back at him, irritated. "Night clubs are one of the hardest places to do security for. It's loud, it's crowded, and it's dark." Which was a very bad combination for a team that consisted of the Avatar, a wanted airbending fugitive, a Resistance soldier, and a lab-rat waterbender. Oh, how ZanYi wished she could have a drink; if there was ever a night she needed one, it was tonight. But she was on the job, and therefore that meant no alcohol.
She felt a pair of hands on her hips in the glittering dark, and knew instantly they were not Shun's; they were far too small and the touch was far less than familiar. "Hey, baby, want someone to show you a good time?" a slimy voice purred in her ear. ZanYi grimaced in disgust.
"Back off," she growled, pushing the guy away from her and moving a little closer to Shun's big, imposing body, hoping he'd catch her drift. Something in her voice or on her face must've done the trick, because the guy quickly moved to scamper off… or maybe it was the 'GO DIE' look Shun had given the man for daring to touch ZanYi. The usually gentle man was not conscious of making such a face; it was a reflex reaction. So, therefore, Shun was confused as to why, when the guy glanced up at him, his face paled and he sped away as fast as he could through the crowd. Perhaps he was intimidated by Shun's height? Whatever it was, the giant waterbender didn't care, as long as the jerk's hands were off ZanYi.
Shun himself slid an arm around her waist, keeping her to his side, his face twisted in a glare for any guy that strayed too close. "Let's go sit down somewhere," he suggested, the sudden irritation he felt making his voice come out in a growl. Being as tall as he was, he was able to navigate through the crowd without too much trouble—that, and the look on his face was downright frightening. If going to clubs meant that he was going to have to shield ZanYi from the grabby hands of the smarmy men in such places, Shun was never going to agree to this again.
However, before Shun could lead her far, ZanYi dug in heels and stopped, almost stumbling forward; the waterbender seemed very intent on moving her away from the masses and wasn't about to stop. "Shun, stop," she told him, grabbing his shirt to pull him back to a halt.
It wasn't his guiding arm that she was protesting. While a different tactic, it kept the wandering hands away from her without her having to firebend or fight them off personally. Besides, it's not like she was adverse to Shun having his hands on her. They'd passed that point already.
"We can't go far," she reminded him, frowning, "I don't want Syaoran and Tiki searching everywhere for us, especially if something goes wrong and we need to get out." They had no comms, no phones. If Team Avatar lost track of each other in there, it could get bad really fast. No, her and Shun had to at least stay close by.
ZanYi tried to think of an alternative solution, but there really weren't any seats nearby, and the few that were were already taken. But standing off to the side like this was not exactly blending in… "Follow me," the lieutenant ordered, grabbing his wrist to lead him into the crowd on the floor. Shun's eyes widened, snapped out of his protective stupor. She wasn't serious, was she?
"Wait. ZanYi, no," Shun denied; it was his turn to dig his heels into the floor. His panicked blues sought her gold—but got brown instead—as he tried to make her understand. "I can't dance."
The giant waterbender felt a little embarrassed to admit such a fact, but it wasn't like he could help it. ZanYi should have suspected as much, given his random bouts of clumsiness. Shun could understand her desire to keep an eye on Tiki and Syaoran, but Shun was tall; he could probably see them from anywhere in the club, despite how many people were there. Anything but the dance floor. That was all he asked.
But he wasn't going to get his way. ZanYi was uncomfortable as it was letting the two other members run off in the midst of all of these people. She had a job to do, and it was not sitting on the sidelines. "I don't expect you to dance," she assured him with a roll of her eyes. The lieutenant already knew how much of a klutz he was. She didn't expect him to have rhythm.
But she did have to get him out on the floor so she could keep a closer look on Tiki and Syaoran.
"If you don't want to go, then stay here," she told him, releasing his shirt then, "but I'm going. I need to keep an eye on them." And with that declaration, ZanYi left his side and started to step away, watching Shun as if waiting for him to come to a different decision. Shun scowled at the lieutenant. This, she was doing on purpose, he was sure of it. With a repressed growl, he followed the frustrating woman into the crowd, even more unwilling to leave her side than he was at the prospect of dancing. But she had said that she didn't expect him to dance…
"Are we just going to stand here then?" Shun inquired of her, once he was close enough again, "because we could have just done that while on the sidelines." Seriously, if she didn't expect him to dance, what did she bring him onto the dance floor for?
ZanYi shot Shun a frown. "Standing around on the sidelines is extremely obvious that we don't belong here," she told him, as if it was obvious. "No one goes into a club if they don't have a purpose. We don't need ours to be broadcasted." They had to keep an eye on Syaoran and Tiki, but they also had to blend in. That was hard enough to do when with a giant. But anything to reduce that would be helpful.
ZanYi let her eyes scan the sea of bodies, finding Tiki and Syaoran close by. Far enough that the two older members weren't crashing in on Tiki's 'fun', but it was close enough that the lieutenant could catch a glimpse of them if she tried. Good.
Looking up to the waterbender, she patted his chest in what was almost an assuring manner. "We need to blend. I'll do all the work. You just get to stand there and look pretty," she told him. ZanYi took a deep breath, and got ready to go to work. It wasn't her first time at a club, and not the first time she'd had to lie low ine one. She already knew everything she had to know.
Catching the groove of the beats, ZanYi let her hips move from side to side, that hand now trailing down his chest. The lieutenant stopped at the waistline of his jeans, hooking on the belt loop and pulling Shun closer to her as she waved her body against him. Dancing was not something she liked or was interested in; but she could move just as sensually as the rest of these club rats if she wanted to.
Right about then was the time to start using that.
Shun did not know what he was expecting, but he was certain it was not… this. The sensuous moves as ZanYi danced to the music—the torture Shun had to endure in that institution all those years? That was nothing compared to this, what she was doing now. It was almost enough to make his brain short-circuit… and strange feelings were beginning to rise within him…
No, no no no no no. This had to stop, it was too much, they were in public, he couldn't lose his grip on his self-control here. Shun took a hasty step back, needing space, his whole body feeling like ZanYi had set it on fire. Unfortunately, the giant waterbender forgot just how crowded the club was, and a jostled cry accompanied by a splash and a clinking of glass reached his ears from behind him.
"Hey, watch where you're going!"
"I'm sorry—!" he turned to apologize, until he got a good look at the person he had just run into. And then he blushed all the way from his hairline to his chin. Oh no. Of all the people to run into in this city…
Hua blinked her emerald eyes up at Shun, recognizing him in an instant. "Well, if it isn't Tall Guy," she purred, a sensuous smile beginning to stretch across her face. "Fancy meeting you here. I figured you for a drifter."
"Uh…" Shun scrambled frantically about in his mind for a clever response. "I am, actually. I'm only in the city for tonight, in fact."
"Huh. Running into you both times you come into the city. Must be fate."
"Or coincidence," Shun pointed out, acutely aware of the fact that ZanYi was right behind him. "But, wow, look at the time, I really should—!"
"Hold on."
Hua reached out to rest a hand on Shun's chest, exactly where ZanYi's hand had been moments before. Shun's heart began to pound harder. Hua was scrutinizing him, her body uncomfortably close. "Something's different about you…" a smirk flitted across the blonde's face. "Did you get hotter?"
Shun was certainly feeling the heat right now. "I don't know what you mean," he replied as coolly as he could, resisting the urge to press a hand over his burning cheeks. Hua licked her lips, the same lips that had pressed against his all those months ago, when he had beaten her in a pool game by chance… Shun gulped.
"No? Hmm. Why don't I just show you, then…?"
Uh oh. Shun knew that look in her eyes. Sure enough, Hua's hand was creeping up to the back of his neck to guide him down to her lips, a move he became all-too-familiar with, thanks to ZanYi… who was still right behind him. How the heck was he supposed to get out of this situation without being rude to Hua, but also without disrespecting ZanYi? Shun didn't know, and his panic meter was reaching dangerous levels. All the giant waterbender knew was that he had to do something… and fast.
ZanYi should've expected Shun to freak out when she danced up on him. She knew just how shy he could get about this stuff. Still, she figured he would've lasted a bit longer, or even got into a little bit, considering how he got when they would make-out late into the night a bit back. But when she realized he wasn't turning back around to even face her, ZanYi got suspicious. Coming up on his side, the lieutenant saw just as the blonde he was conversing with starting to make a move on him. In the instant ZanYi realized who it was, she was moving.
Before Hua could get to Shun's frozen face, ZanYi slipped right between them and knocked Hua's hand away from Shun's neck. Right about then, the lieutenant was cursing the waterbender's ineptitude with women, but she also had a bigger problem to deal with by consequence.
ZanYi crossed her arms as she leaned back to use Shun's chest as support. "Now, hasn't anyone taught you not to touch what belongs to others?" the lieutenant remarked, lifting a brow at the blonde. Glancing up at Shun, she lifted both eyebrows pointedly. "And you need to get faster at reacting," she told him with sharp eyes.
Shun was grateful to have been saved from Hua's spell, but now he knew he was in trouble for it. "I'm sorry…" he apologized, the words muffled by the hand that had finally made its way over his mouth, his head turned away in embarrassment. Seriously, of all the people to run into, it had to be Man-eater Hua? He really had the worst luck.
Hua raised her eyebrows in response to the woman who dared to interrupt her conquest. Usually, it didn't matter to the blonde whether the man she was after was taken or not. But, after seeing how her conquest reacted to said interruption, Hua felt it was safe to assume that this was already a lost cause. "Oh, so sorry," she drawled with another suggestive glance at Shun—just because she couldn't help it. "He didn't tell me he was… involved. You should really state these things clearly, Tall Guy."
"Sorry…" Shun apologized again, looking absolutely mortified. Hua smirked.
"It's fine. I've suddenly lost interest. I didn't know you could blush this much over simple flirtations. It's cute… but not what I'm looking for." With a flip of her blonde tresses, Hua made her way past the apparent couple, allowing her emerald eyes to focus on Shun for just a little longer. "Too bad: I thought tonight would be the night that I'd get to see you naked. Oh well. See you around, Tall Guy…" a curious glance to ZanYi, "…or not."
Waggling her fingers in a goodbye wave, the sensuous blonde turned and effortlessly disappeared into the crowd. Shun felt like his face was engulfed in flames—how did Hua just say what was on her mind without feeling embarrassed and making no apologies about it? It was baffling to the giant waterbender.
"…I'm sorry, ZanYi," he apologized again, turning an anxious look onto the lieutenant. "She… she's hard to handle. I didn't know what to do…"
Okay, he was starting to sound pathetic. He needed to shut up. Like, now.
ZanYi wouldn't look at Shun at first. And when she did, there was a lot to be said for the range of emotions it showed. The color of those may not be her own, but the feelings there inlaid were. There was a fair bit of irritation, and a good portion of offense, insult, and hurt.
ZanYi had no problem fighting for what was hers. That's what it meant to her. If it was her responsibility, her jurisdiction, her possession, or someone of intimate relations to her, there was nothing that was going to stop her from doing everything in her power to be there to protect and help. But she had a huge problem with Shun being a deer in headlights and willing to compromise that.
"You know, I could not care less about what happened last time the two of you crossed paths," ZanYi started, her voice low. If the music had still been thumping and grinding, it would've been impossible to hear her. But with the slow and soulful tune playing now, it was quite clear to Shun. "But things are not the same as they were before, and you just stood there and were about to let her have her way with you. You froze and did nothing."
Shun flinched, as if ZanYi had struck him. His hand wandered up to touch the cool metal he had gotten used to being there, but when his fingers encountered thick chain links, he remembered that ZanYi's dogtags were still tucked away in his satchel. He felt like he had betrayed ZanYi, and it was a very unpleasant feeling.
"…I'm sorry," Shun apologized again—if he had space to bow, he would have, but his eyes pretty much said it all. "I don't really have much experience with women… but even I know I should have said something before then. I just kind of froze up—I didn't want to be rude, but I didn't want to hurt you either… but it looks like I ended up doing both."
Shun sighed, looking away from the disappointed lieutenant. This was a mistake, coming here. If they hadn't come here… but then, even if it hadn't been at the club, what would Shun have done if he ran into Hua in the lobby of their hotel? Or in one of the stores they would be visiting? How did Shun know he wouldn't react in the same way as tonight? He didn't, and he could not do anything about his blunder now expect to try and fix it.
"What can I do to make it up to you?" The giant waterbender asked, looking anxious. "If you want to leave, I'll grab Tiki and Syaoran and we'll go. Whatever you want, I'll do it."
Was Shun whipped? Thoroughly. Did he care? Not in the slightest. He just never wanted ZanYi to have a reason to be disappointed in him again, and if that meant being eager to please her, than so be it.
ZanYi only continued to frown at him. He was sincere, as was usual. She couldn't deny that. But that didn't make her less irritated with him. Her pride was hurt, and her trust a bit weakened. Shun was certainly not her favorite person at the moment.
She looked away to find the other two in the crowd, only to see them completely wrapped up in each other at the moment, dancing slowly and softly to the lull and thrum of the music. Syaoran never looked that content, and even Tiki was happier looking than the lieutenant had seen her in a very long while. After everything that's happened lately, it was hard to just rip that way from them, even for ZanYi.
"No, you don't have to get Tiki and Syaoran," she denied begrudgingly. But she wasn't about to let Shun off the hook either. Her eyes went back to him. "As for you…" ZanYi moved closer to Shun, pulling him over by the loop of his jeans again. "You can start by showing me you know exactly whose you are."
Shun's face heated once again, but it was a slow and intense heat rather than a sudden burst, like usual. Maybe it was the atmosphere in this place, maybe it was because they hadn't had any intimate contact in a while, maybe it was the burning look ZanYi was giving him through those gold eyes masquerading as brown. Whatever it was, Shun knew exactly what ZanYi wanted, and he was more than willing to give it to her, for once not caring if someone else might see.
A hand pressing against the small of her back to keep her close to him, Shun wound his other hand in ZanYi's dark hair as he leaned down to kiss her. Even now, however, he struggled to maintain his self-control, his hands shaking slightly from the effort. As much as he wanted to, he could not throw caution to the winds with reckless abandon—they were still in public. If he let himself get carried away like the first time he had kissed ZanYi, he had no idea what might happen.
ZanYi leaned into him, kissing him back fiercely. It felt like it had been too long, and ZanYi hadn't realized how much she had wanted this, yearned for it. Surely she'd had her own set of problems as of late—problems that had led to the distance between them. But the lieutenant was starting to realize more and more she wanted to close that distance.
Was it love like Shun had for her? That she couldn't say. Not yet. But ZanYi knew this was more than just a physical attraction to the waterbender.
It was with great reluctance that the lieutenant pulled away from Shun's lips, though she did nothing about the proximity between them. She could feel the tremor in him, struggling. Struggling not to keep going, and she so very much wanted him to. "We've got to find a better place for this," she muttered, her lips brushing against his.
Shun was very much inclined to agree, but even if they did find a more secluded space, what about Syaoran and Tiki? They couldn't just forget about them… could they?
Just as Shun was on the brink of saying, "Screw it," and whisking ZanYi back to their hotel room for some very needed alone time, all of the lights in the club abruptly turned on.
"Whoa, who turned on the lights?!" DJ JJ exclaimed, shielding his eyes as Miss N did, thought both their eyes were covered with eye wear. Glancing at his watch, the disk jockey balked. "Holy crap, is it that late already? Sorry, party people, but Club Heat is officially closed for the night! Y'all don't have to go home, but you gotta get the heck up out of here!"
And just like that, the spell was broken. Shun released a sigh that turned into a frustrated growl at the end, forcing himself to step back from ZanYi once more. He gave her a longing, regretful look before turning away, searching through the crowds for the other duo of Team Avatar. He found them not too far away, slowly separating from each other and looking away, their faces cherry red. Shun would have been more interested to know what had been happening between them if he wasn't so distracted at the moment.
Tiki had extricated herself from Syaoran's embrace, her embarrassment and sense catching up to her. Oh no, why did she allow herself to slow-dance with him?! Now she liked him even more! This was going to be a serious problem from now on, the tiny airbender just knew it. "…Um," she spoke up after a tense moment, daring to peer up at Syaoran. "Should we go find Shun and ZanYi…?" Tiki was eager to leave now. Tonight had been like a fairytale for her, even if it hadn't lasted very long. But it would have to remain just that: a fairytale. Tiki knew better than to mix fantasy with reality, and she was not about to start blurring the lines now, no matter how attracted she was to Syaoran.
Syaoran only nodded, looking determinedly away from Tiki. The lights were on, the music stopped, and it was closing time. Time to get his mind back on track. There was no way that he liked Tiki like that. It had to have been a trick of the lighting, the emotional music…
Shun popped up unexpectedly a moment later, weaving through the crowds to get to them, a firm grasp on ZanYi's hand as he towed her along. "Time to go," he asserted, looking… strange. There was an expression on his face Tiki didn't quite understand, a mixture of what looked like frustration and some sort of longing. It made the tiny airbender quirk her eyebrows at him, but Shun paid her no mind—now that he had located her and Syaoran, it was time to move along through the crowd like everyone else.
Subtly, Syaoran looked over at the blushing airbender, then had to look away again because he started blushing too. Okay, maybe there was something there that wasn't there before. But that did not mean that Syaoran had to pay any attention to it. "Let's get going then," he said, turning to Shun and ZanYi. The former of the two looked more distracted than normal, his hand grasping the lieutenant's tight. ZanYi didn't seem to have a problem with that either. He was about to make a comment, but then realized he did not want to bring attention to him and Tiki.
That's when ZanYi slipped out of Shun's hand, albeit begrudgingly. Personally, she wanted to find another way to get some time with Shun, but that probably wasn't going to happen. Now that the team was on the move again, there wouldn't be that time. The four of them would be cramped together again all the time.
"Hope it was worth the trouble," ZanYi asserted, giving Syaoran and Tiki a strict look.
Tiki understood that ZanYi was actually scolding them, but she still managed to smile at the lieutenant. "Yeah. I had fun," Tiki said, throwing a glance Syaoran's way before looking away again with a blush. Normally, Shun would tease the tiny airbender about the pleased look she currently wore. Now, however, all he wanted to do was just get back to the hotel.
"Let's go. We have an early morning tomorrow," Shun asserted, leading the team with great strides, forcing the rest of them to trot to keep up. He had to get out of here. He needed air, or sleep… something to get his mind off ZanYi. The giant waterbender was still feeling the slow heat she had invoked churning inside him, refusing to die down. And now they were headed back to the hotel where Tiki and ZanYi shared a room, while Shun was left to bunk with Syaoran.
If there were ever a moment Shun wanted to complain, it was definitely now.
Two hours. Two hours had passed since they'd returned to the hotel, changed, and gotten into bed. Two whole hours, and Shun was not the least bit tired. All he could think about was ZanYi, and it was driving him crazy. He felt a little guilty for shifting in the bed he had to himself so much, making so much noise and probably disturbing Syaoran, but he couldn't help it: he just could not get to sleep, no matter how hard he tried.
However, the real issue was that, in the girls' room, ZanYi seemed to be having the same problem… which was keeping Tiki awake in exchange. Finally, the tiny airbender sat up, peering over at ZanYi with a frown in the dark of the room.
"ZanYi, what's wrong? Why can't you sleep?"
ZanYi refused to answer, letting out a small growl under her breath. She wasn't sure what was worse: the night terrors, or not being able to sleep at all. At least when she had night terrors, she could wake up to Shun during the night and the next morning. The team being on the move again was going to be a nuisance, now that the nature of her and Shun's relationship had changed. It was easy for them to have all shared rooms or split up in pairs before, but now? The lieutenant found that now she was far too accustomed to Shun. And it was frustrating her.
"Just go to sleep, Tiki," she eventually said, trying to roll back over and try again.
Tiki threw a rather sour look at ZanYi's back. Here she was, just trying to help the lieutenant, and she got snark instead. Well, fine. Tiki didn't have to put up with this. "I can't go to sleep; you keep moving around," Tiki grumbled, throwing the blankets off of her and grabbing her key card. Resolute in her decision, Tiki left the room and crossed the hall to bang on the boys' door. On the other side of the door, Shun shot straight up at this, too eager to answer the door; he nearly tripped over his own two feet in the process. He finally got the door open, feeling ridiculously hopeful… only to find that it was Tiki on the other side of the door. Shun's face fell noticeably, but Tiki could not summon the energy to care that Shun was not happy to see her. "Here," she cut him off as he opened his mouth to speak, shoving her key card at him. "I'm switching rooms. ZanYi keeps moving around and it's keeping me up. Go calm her down or something."
"What? But—!"
Tiki did not give Shun a chance to protest. She slipped into the room and threw an air blast at him, shoving the giant waterbender out of the room. Next, the tiny airbender closed and locked the door before crawling into the bed previously occupied by Shun, his body heat still lingering and making the bed warm. Tiki sighed in content, settling into the pillows. "Finally. G'night, Syaoran."
The Avatar across the room, while finding the technique unorthodox, was immensely thankful. Syaoran could sleep through anything, but Shun was extremely fidgety tonight. Perhaps now he'd actually be able to sleep. Shun wasn't this bad last time they'd had to share space together, but he was horrible this time. "Thank-you," he yawned in great gratitude. "G'night, Tiki." Then Syaoran rolled over, closing his eyes to rest.
And then he realized what was happening. His jade gaze popped back open. Was he really about to share the room with Tiki for the night? Syaoran almost dared to look over there to double check, but he knew it had to be the truth since he couldn't hear Shun anymore. Months ago, he wouldn't even have cared, but now that he actually kind of-sort of liked Tiki more than a friend…
Well, this was a bit awkward. Syaoran could only hope he could get to sleep now.
Tiki, for her part, seemed unperturbed by the fact that she and Syaoran would be sharing a room. They had done so many other times before, why would tonight be any different?
The feeling of Syaoran's arms around her flashed through the tiny airbender's mind, and her face turned pink. Oh, right. That happened. Well, she may as well get over it. She was going to be the only one freaking out about it, and there was just no point to that. As long as she went straight to sleep, she would be fine.
With one last content sigh, Tiki closed her eyes and let herself drift away, finally getting the sleep she deserved.
Once Tiki barged out of the room, ZanYi growled in frustration. Seriously, where did the airbender think she was going? With a grumble, the lieutenant climbed out of bed to follow after Tiki. This was not the time for her to be insubordinate again.
Walking over to the door, ZanYi started to snarl, "I swear, Tiki, if you don't stay put—"
Her voice cut off. Why? Because when she opened the door, there was a very large waterbender standing on the other side of it. "Shun?" she asked, as if verifying she was seeing right. Just what was he doing out in the hall?
Shun was staring incredulously at the door across the hall, wondering if that seriously had just happened, when the creaking of the door in front of him promptly served as a distraction. It seemed Tiki spoke the truth when she said that ZanYi was keeping her up, because here the lieutenant was, completely awake and alert. Shun's need for ZanYi grew once he set eyes upon her golden gaze.
"…Tiki just kicked me out of my room," he explained to ZanYi. "I guess it was a mutual thing, though, since I was keeping Syaoran up…" The giant waterbender stepped closer to ZanYi, his fingertips brushing her cheek to run down the side of her neck. "Can I bunk with you?"
ZanYi only stared at him for a second, wondering whether this was a good idea. After this, it was going to be painstakingly clear to Tiki and Syaoran that her and Shun were not as they used to be—if it wasn't clear already. Shun wasn't exactly great at being covert, and ZanYi was afraid tonight she'd helped that notion along. But if Tiki could mess everyone else's plans up to get her way and have fun for the night, ZanYi supposed she would take this when it was handed to her.
"Get in here," ZanYi told him, moving back to let him into the bedroom. There was no edge to her voice, just a bit of a soft growl. When she had closed the door back behind her, ZanYi turned to Shun, sauntering over closer to him. "So, were you planning on just bunking here or…?" She let a hand trail down Shun's chest, never breaking her stare with his icy blues.
Did she really even need to ask? Was Shun not making himself clear in the way he was looking at her? Without needing any further incentive, he shoved ZanYi against the door she had just closed, pressing his body against hers as he kissed her passionately. His hands wanted to roam elsewhere, but he kept them around ZanYi's wrists, pinning her arms to the door—he had waited long enough, so he wanted to enjoy this as much as possible before she took control as usual.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, where his gentle tendencies resided, Shun was embarrassed to be behaving this aggressively; it just wasn't his style. But to heck with that tonight: it had been ages since he had been able to kiss ZanYi like this, to be able to enjoy the warmth of her body against his. And after tonight, when she had teased him so sensually, he was not going to let one moment go to waste.
This kind of aggression was unheard of for Shun. It almost startled ZanYi, but it didn't: she wanted it far too much. She matched his lips in heat, everything that she felt in the club earlier pouring out of her. Right now, she didn't care about the fact they'd have to answer to Syaoran and Tiki tomorrow for changing rooms. She didn't care that she was on duty, technically.
Right now, for the first time in her life, the only thing on her mind was one person: Shun.
The lieutenant shoved back against Shun roughly, only to jump up on him, straddling his waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Once there, ZanYi continued to kiss him harder, hotter.
This suited Shun just fine—she was closer to his lips now. He moved his hands to the small of her back, holding her to him as he moved blindly over to the bed. Once his shins hit the bed frame, he gratefully tumbled forward onto the mattress, being reckless with ZanYi again. But he couldn't find it in him to be gentle, this had taken too long for him to be patient, his self-restraint in shreds once again, just like that night when ZanYi first kissed him, the first of few short nights to come. ZanYi usually initiated the make-outs first, since Shun was always unsure of whether or not she wanted him to touch her. But for the first time, Shun was in charge, and he was ready to take advantage of that fact.
Making a low sound in the back of his throat, he released ZanYi's lips long enough to let her catch her breath, moving to kiss her neck instead. Her smoky scent was strongest here, and Shun found himself breathing deep as he pressed his lips against the length of her neck, pausing here and there to nibble on the flesh. He had all but lost his mind, but was happily intoxicated by the moment. Syaoran and Tiki could ask all the questions they wanted to tomorrow—Shun would be content for a very long time after tonight.
And ZanYi was of the same mind tonight. She already knew that she was attracted to Shun, that she cared about Shun. But the lieutenant was pretty sure she hadn't known that Shun had all of… this in him. It was amazing.
"Shun…" ZanYi couldn't help but utter, voice rough with everything the moment was throwing at her. When she couldn't take it anymore, she shoved Shun's head back to her lips, pressing hard and moving roughly over his lips as her hands got tangled up in his hair. It was surprisingly soft, and her fingers curled up in it, holding his head so that his lips would not leave hers. He had no choice now.
Shun obliged her, wanting nothing more to please her. The way she said his name had him yearning for her even more, his tongue intertwining with hers as he pressed his body into hers, one hand daring to slip under her shirt, something he would not even attempted if his control wasn't already long-gone.
But wait… this was getting dangerous. If they didn't slow down soon, they might end up crossing a line they could not come back from…
This fact breaking through some part of the lustful haze that had seized Shun, he broke away for air again, panting as he gazed down at ZanYi, her face looking as flushed as he felt. "…ZanYi," he panted, his voice husky, "I can't… if we don't stop soon, I don't think I'll be able to control myself. I don't want to do anything we're not ready for, so if we need to stop here, tell me so." He hoped she would take his warning seriously: usually Shun could control himself, but not now. Not tonight. If she didn't tell him to slow down, he would be pushed past his breaking point. If she had any qualms, it was either now or never that she had to say them.
ZanYi had to breathe first, to put oxygen back in her panting lungs. Never, really, had she lost her breath like this, lost so much of her discipline and training to where she threw it all away. But with Shun, even she was losing it, pushing it all to the side. So when he asked the question, the lieutenant almost was confused as to why he would ask.
But even then, ZanYi knew better. Shun loved her. And if she wasn't ready to take that same leap, then this could all hurt him later. Besides, they were still in the middle of a war. What if something happened to her out there like Zaron? Or to him? There were too many variables. And she didn't want to hurt him. That was a fact.
Which is why she growled in irritation, running a hand up to push away the hair that fell around her face. "Shun…" she said again, her aggravation showing—or perhaps it was still the passion? "…I… we've got to stop then. We can't go there. Not right now."
It upset her, and greatly so. But as much as ZanYi just wanted to throw all caution to the wind, she could never completely shake the reality around her. There was a reason she was 'The Lieutenant'.
Almost as if apologizing for it, ZanY arched herself upwards to kiss Shun's lips again, savoring the motion. When she fell back down to the bed, she allowed her golden stare to rest on Shun above her, still panting a little. "You still staying tonight?"
Shun let out a slow breath. It was a bit of a relief for ZanYi to be clear with him, although a part of him was a little disappointed that they had to stop. Still, if ZanYi didn't want to cross that line, he wouldn't. He loved her too much to do that to her. At her question, he smirked. "Yes, Lieutenant," he crooned softly, leaning down to kiss her once again, but only briefly. The whole purpose of them slowing down was so he wouldn't get carried away. Moving to lay beside ZanYi instead, Shun slid his arms around her waist, pulling her to him, already missing her body heat. Tonight… was amazing. Shun never knew he could feel like that, although he worried now that he had unleashed some kind of beast that had been chained up within himself, his shared passion with ZanYi setting the beast free. Shun was going to have to watch himself from then on, especially since he and ZanYi wouldn't always have a chance to be alone.
Now that he was regaining some of his sense, the giant waterbender's face was flushing a deep red. He couldn't believe he had acted so aggressively towards ZanYi! It was true that she was not made out of glass and would not break if he mishandled her a little, but still! How embarrassing. Peering down at the lieutenant's neck, Shun could see a couple dark spots forming on ZanYi's neck. He gulped.
"…Um, ZanYi… I'm sorry, but… I think I gave you a couple hickeys."
He had definitely gotten carried away.
ZanYi frowned at him, reaching up to touch her neck. There were certain spots that she could feel were more tender. "Great…" she mumbled with a roll of her eyes. If they were still on base, she probably would've wanted to murder Shun. But she wouldn't have, and she definitely didn't right then. Shun had been way too fantastic for that. And somehow he'd just found a way to say her title in a very sexual manner. This man was good.
With an aggravated sigh, she dropped her hand back down, giving Shun a look. "Well, in the end, they're just small bruises. You can heal them in the morning," she assured him. "But if Tiki and Syaoran ask anything about tonight, you get to explain that one." That caused another sigh to come from ZanYi. "So, what do we tell them?" she asked, looking up at Shun. "Because I think 'secret' and 'covert' have just officially left the building."
"Mmm…" Shun hummed, lowering his head to nuzzle ZanYi's neck. True, up until now, they had kept their relationship quiet and on a 'need-to-know' basis. But, considering Tiki had basically forced them into a room together, there was nothing about their relationship that could be kept secret anymore. "…We tell them the truth," Shun decided, looking up to meet ZanYi's eyes. "We're together, aren't we? Where's the sense in hiding it? They were going to figure it out eventually if we kept sneaking off by ourselves. They're not stupid." Honestly, Shun felt that them continuing to deny it to the other duo in Team Avatar was just insulting Tiki and Syaoran's intelligence. There was no sense in denying it, since Tiki—and very recently, Syaoran—had been rooting for them to get together. In fact, Shun would be surprised if he and ZanYi weren't suspected as being together already.
This only made ZanYi groan again, and this one was not a sound of pleasure, but rather displeasure. Her and Shun being like this was a big piece of her privacy, something she usually preferred to keep from interfering with her job. ZanYi didn't mix business and pleasure, even if Shun was pushing the boundary to give her no option but to every time they had a plan.
"Fine, though I expect they wouldn't be surprised," the lieutenant agreed. "Especially considering the way that Tiki basically threw you to me tonight. And you've been ever so open about wearing my tags…" ZanYi reached up to touch the cool metal around Shun's neck at the thought, though the memory of the last person in her life to wear similar tags was surfacing.
"Look… there is more than this war. I know you've come to know this… You're with that waterbe—Shun… So let him make you happy…"
Zaron's voice came floating back, a reminder that she still wasn't quite all there, not quite all together. But ZanYi didn't rush to squeeze her head, squeeze the voice right out. It was coming less and less these days—perhaps, like Shun had suggested, because she was starting to believe her brother's words. If tonight was any indication, the lieutenant was ready to at least start letting Shun try make her happy.
It made her smirk a little bit, and her hand clasping around the dogtags to pull Shun's face a little closer. "So, do you remember whose you are now?" she quipped, looking up at Shun through a hooded golden gaze.
"Yes, Lieutenant," Shun replied obediently, his voice still husky. He leaned in and kissed ZanYi again, but carefully, so he wouldn't be shoved over the edge again. He had already done enough damage tonight—the marks on ZanYi's neck proved it. The funny thing was that Shun was probably more embarrassed by the hickeys than ZanYi was.
"We should get some sleep," he mumbled, pressing his face into ZanYi's neck once more, breathing in her smoky scent. "We already have to be up early tomorrow." And Shun was going to be downright exhausted because of tonight. It would probably take a whole barrel of coffee in order for him to feel alert tomorrow, and that was not good. So now that he had finally calmed down, the giant waterbender was going to attempt to get what sleep he could.
ZanYi nodded, just enjoying the feel of Shun's face buried in her neck. The contact was enough to keep the goosebumps of the evening fresh. Of all of the other nights that they had been together, none of them had been like this, in nature or action. This was something that was going to stick for a while with the lieutenant—much longer than the hickeys on her neck would be there to remind her.
A disappointing consequence, but in her book, it was certainly worth it.
"You act as if you wouldn't already be awake early," she reminded him. ZanYi was always up early, but Shun was always up earlier, though he did seem to sleep later when they stayed the night together. Probably because those nights he was woken up in the middle of it to wake her up and stop her screaming.
But tonight, even a night terror couldn't mess this up. Guiding his face back up to hers, ZanYi kissed him once more before wiggling in his grasp. The lieutenant turned around to face the other way, shifting herself so that her back was pressed tight against Shun's broad chest. "Goodnight, Shun," she spoke into the dark, closing her eyes. "See you in the morning."
Shun smiled in content, his eyes already drifting closed, comforted by the fact that ZanYi was snug in his grasp. "Night," he mumbled, a yawn following soon after. Sleep was already trying to claim him, but the giant waterbender struggled to keep awake. He had one more thing to say to ZanYi before he fell asleep. Moving so that his lips were at her ear, Shun whispered, "I love you, ZanYi."
There. Now he could go to sleep. Resting his chin on top of ZanYi's head, Shun let out another huge yawn, his consciousness drifting. He would have to remember to thank Tiki tomorrow: if she had not been so pushy in her endeavors to get some rest, Shun probably would not be in here with ZanYi right now.
And, not that she would ever admit it, but ZanYi was thankful too. Because now that Shun was there, she knew she could fall fast asleep, with the hope of a terror-less night. Content and comfortable in Shun's arms, ZanYi quickly fell asleep too.
Peace at last.
A/N from Eva: (Whistles) Is it hot in here, or is it just me? XD Looks like things are steaming up for ShunYi. Despite their secret being out at this point, let's hope they can keep their cool in front of Tiki and Syaoran...or their hands off each other, at least. XD
Ozai37: We're glad you find Tiki and Syaoran cute! We adore them as well~ Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last one!
writingbrick: Welcome back. XD I believe this is our cue to laugh maniacally...but you seem to be going through enough as it is, so we'll restrain ourselves. XD I almost feel bad for feeding your addiction, BUT, we're more glad you're enjoying our story! We hope you will continue to read!
Masseffect321: Oh no, one of your reviews got lost? That sucks. We're glad this one made it through! (And I also approve of the nifty send off, ha ha.) Thanks for continuing to support us!
ANewbutOldGuest: Ha ha, well, part of your prediction came true. XD Was it in a way you expected, though? Be sure to let us know! Thanks for reading!
Thanks again to everyone who continues to support DJ and I, as well as Team Avatar! The ball's going to start rolling for Syaoran's waterbending training soon, so be sure you stick around to see it! 'Till next time, bye bye!