Chapter 20
His body was wild with emotions and feelings. Arousal came first, of course. He had the prettiest girl clinging to his arm and the scent of jasmine swirling around his already dizzy head. He knew exactly what was happening but he couldn't make his head work to stop it… not that he wanted to in the least.
The second feeling was fear. Howl didn't understand it, but enlaced in the butterflies going crazy in his stomach was panic. Horror that he would something completely wrong, shame that he would do something to hurt her. Though it was the second strongest emotion that invaded his mind, it was quickly degraded down by his lust for her. After what seemed like a thousand miles to get across camp, they reached her room. The fear quickly outgrew that arousal, his hands quivering from the true thought that they were actually going to do this, that they were actually going to be making love.
Korra hadn't spoken since the minute she'd convinced him to come a long and he couldn't blame her. His own voice was stuck in his throat, the emotional distress rushing through him like a tidal wave. He spotted her fingers quivering as she struggled to open the door. Howl exhaled, pushed his nerves down, and accompanied her hand down to the doorknob, gently turning her wrist and opening the door. He could do this. He was going to do this, with her, tonight.
He was hit by a calming scent and saw that she had picked up her room. Candles were lit and emitting that gentle, soothing smell. He intertwined Korra's fingers with his. Korra turned to him, her eyes searching his face for anything; a sign of discontent, a breath of annoyance…anything. She wasn't supposed to be this afraid; she was supposed to want this! Yet, she was searching his face for anything, any little notion that said they should stop. Then, Howl leaned down and pushed the parka hood off of her hair. His thumb trailed around her cheekbone. The intimate touch immediately brought that want back, that desire to have him. She stood on her tiptoes and met her lips with his.
Howl placed one hand as gently as he could on the back of her head to deepen the kiss. His other hand cupped her chin as Korra's tongue gently poked at his lips, the sweet taste of her invading his mind. Then his hands dropped to her hips, pulling her so close that their knees were touching. Korra's hands were tugging on his tunic, yanking the cloak free of his throat. Howl pulled away momentarily to breath, his heart pounding with every simple beat. Korra, however, returned her lips to his jawbone, pushing off his helmet and breastplate and hearing them clank to the floor.
He slowly peeled off the parka on her shoulders, as she tangled her fingers amongst his black curls. Korra felt her body growing hot with desire. Howl's heartbeat was thumping as fast her own. Her leg wrapped around his waist out of instinct, their lips colliding once more as he moved away from the door and farther into the room. His hands helped her sit on his waist, holding her hips to keep her from falling. His tongue skated with hers as he sat onto the bed, the mattress squeaking under their combined weight.
Howl's nervousness was tipping over the sailing ship and he broke their lips apart once more. The breathing between them was tormented and desperate, longing for the other one's touch more than ever. Howl pressed his forehead to the crook of her neck, leaving a faint trail of kisses on her throat. She gasped in shock. "Korra," He whispered, feeling her tangle her fingers into his tunic. "A-are you sure?"
Korra nodded and broke off his next question with her lips, his mind hazing as her hands snuck under his tunic. His entire body tightened, feeling the softness of her fingertips as her fingers circled his nipple. He let out a moan, unable to help himself. "K-korra—"Korra's fingernails traced around the individual abs on his stomach, nuzzling his throat with her the edges of her teeth. Howl found himself immobilized, feeling a burning passion rising in his stomach. He couldn't handle this, he couldn't handle her touch. Her soft touch was driving him insane.
Korra felt his breathing picking up as she touched him. He was whispering something, whispering her name as she did. Her fingers touched his hand and she intertwined their fingers together. Howl finally managed to kiss her back, his body on fire under her fingers. His massive hands were roaming up and down his back as she returned the kissing to their lips, their tongues battling anxiously for dominance. She'd never seen this side of him up close; the roughness, the supremacy. The adoration. Though this was considered gentle and they were still fully clothed, Korra was burning intensely without his hands on her sacred parts.
Howl needed control. It was hard enough to hold her still. He needed to ask her if this was really what she wanted or if it was just a simple birthday present. Yet he felt immobile under her. If he was going to get on top, he was going to have to be swift about it. As she broke off for a breath of air, Howl jumped at the chance. He used a much gentler wrestling move and flipped her onto her back. She yelped in shock before she giggled. Howl put his nose on hers, letting their heated breaths mingle for a few moments at a time. There was silence other than their pants, their gasps for a simple breath of fresh air. "Korra," He repeated, kissing her nose gently. His worst fear was losing her and he felt like he might if they continued. So, instead of stopping, he admitted, "I'm scared."
Korra felt the truth behind his words as his fingers brushed her loose hair out of her eyes, shaking uncontrollably. She felt frozen by his truthful words as he trailed the outline of her lips. Ever since she read the book on the art of lovemaking, she had figured that she should be the scared one. In ways, she was. What if she wasn't pretty enough? What if she wasn't the one? What if she lost all memory of what the book said and accidently did or tried something it told her not to? What if…what if he didn't enjoy it?
Her head screamed at her to stop but her heart's words spoke louder. It told her to do what she wanted, to do what she loved. It told her to never give up hope or happiness. And when she saw Howl start back away after her thoughts had invaded, she narrowly grabbed him and pulled him close to her. "I'm scared too." She admitted, almost unwillingly. "But I love you. Don't worry about anything else."
Howl smiled weakly and slid off of the bed. He knew she was watching as he reached over his head and tugged off the black tunic, tossing it to the ground without a second thought. He heard her inhale sharply and immediately grew conscious of the bruises up and down his stomach and chest. There was nothing he could do to stop her from seeing them now and, if they were going to continue, it was better now than later. He crawled back onto the bed and tenderly kissed the crook between her chin and her collarbone.
Korra let out a sharp little cry of satisfaction as his tongue left a chilling path down to where her shirt met her skin. He explored no further after that with her shirt blocking the way, but she was eager to change that. She let go of his hand and brought her own to the hem of her shirt, pulling the fabric over her head. Howl sucked in a breath sharply as she started to undo her wrappings. Her fingers shook but she bit the inside of her cheek and sighed softly as the pale white bindings undid themselves, falling to the side of the bed and exposing her chest to him.
Howl tried not to stare at her supple, perfect breasts but he was having trouble. His groin was screaming, his head throbbing, but he was too high to care. Korra's hands suddenly moved to hide herself, her cheeks pink with shame. Howl frowned, moving his gaze from her beautiful upper body and kissing her ear. "Why are you hiding?" He whispered, his breath husky. He felt her shudder underneath him, her hand trailing down his bare chest. "I'll stop if you want me to-"
"No!" Korra begged. "No, please. I do want this, Howl. It's just… you're not the only scared one." She admitted, a sheepish smile crawling across her face. Howl blinked, realizing how much this was getting to her. He let out a breath of understanding, looking away from her and catching the dream catcher in the corner of his eye. Korra's warm fingers took his chin gently and turned them back to face her. She lifted herself from against the pillows and kissed his throat. "I really, truly want this, Howl."
Her fingers took his hand and gently guided it to her breast. Howl stiffened slightly before he glanced at her for approval. She nodded warmly, her breathing shaky. His finger ran across her nipple, sending shivers of satisfying pleasure down to her most private part. Howl kissed her throat and she gasped at how badly he was teasing her. She hated him for it but at the same time didn't want him to move a muscle other than his fingers and his lips. Korra felt his hand grasping hers as she tried her hardest not to squirm under his touch.
She left kisses along his shoulder and arms as he held her to him. Her gasps grew a little louder when his tongue touched and caressed her nipple, her body screaming to be free of the clothes choking her movement. Her fingers met the trail of tiny black hairs leading into his secret parts. She moaned as he lightly kissed the very soft flesh on her chest, but it was her turn to pleasure him. She followed the trail into unknown territory and met his baggy pants. Her hand continued downwards, brushing against the hardest part of his entire body.
Howl groaned as he felt her hand touch him, caused him to stiffen once more. He placed his hand on her still clothed thigh and brought it against his chest. He felt her hot breath against her neck, coming out in shaky, small pants, shuddering with desire and passion. One hand kept her supported, her fingers tangled in his curls while the other had was intent on pleasuring him over his clothes. He was burning; he felt like he was drowning in a sea of lava. He had to free himself. Howl stopped massaging her breast and leant up to her lips, cupping her beautiful face between his two hands and kissing her. Then his hands moved downwards to his sweatpants and he pulled them off. He found Korra's smaller hands helping him with his aching body. Her fingers tightened around his underwear and pulled them off in seconds.
Howl exhaled, shaking with relief. Korra gasped softly and his cheeks grew red. He knew he wasn't the biggest but—his thoughts decimated when she grazed her fingertips on it, taking it in her smaller hand. Howl moaned loudly, their lips once again all over each others. He felt her tongue enter his mouth as she started to pump her little hand along his member. He couldn't stop the cry of pleasure as it arose from his throat, breaking off their heated kiss. He couldn't keep up with her frantic pecks as the strokes grew longer, so he lowered his head to the crook of her neck and began to suck on her throat, unable to kiss or move or function as she pleased him.
Korra knew she was doing something right by the sounds he was making; pitiful little whimpers every time she moved up and down. He couldn't continue with their kisses as his breathing picked up, knowing she was torturing him. His hips bucked occasionally, his mouth quivering every time she grew closer to the tip. He was molding clay in her hands as trailed her kisses down to his nipple and tempted him with her tongue the same way he had done.
Only then did she notice where his hands were; trailing down her bare stomach and slowly, surely reaching the fabric that blocked his path. Korra felt him start to slide everything off—her pants first, then her underwear wrappings in mere seconds. He wasn't rushing, just fast, just quick and fleeting. She gasped when everything was gone and the both of them were naked, completely exposed between each other. Korra let go of his member and glanced up at his face to find him more focused on her eyes than the rest of her body.
She saw a thin bead of sweat trail down his forehead and she reached up to wipe it away. As soon as her arm dropped, Howl lifted her naked thigh around his waist, his lips lingering just millimeters away. Korra felt the heat of his breath against his and she gasped when he spoke. "Are you certain about this?" He questioned, their lips only barely brushing against each other. Korra moaned softly, running her fingers through his soft curls. "After this, there's no turning back and—"
"Shut up, Howl." She teased, pulling his neck down and planting a kiss on his lips, running her hands down his back. Howl moaned against her fighting tongue, his member pressing achingly at her sweet lips. Korra gasped as she felt him against her, shudders running down through her body and positioning themselves waiting for his entrance. "I love yo-"
As gently as he could, Howl slipped inside of her. Korra let out a painful cry, her most personal part invaded and aching, throbbing. Pain was surging through her stomach and up. Then it disappeared as Howl stopped moving, his eyes searching her face for something to tell him what was wrong. The words were stuck in Korra's throat and she threw her head back, her lower body screaming from the intensity. Still, she bit her lip and tried to force it back down. "Do-don't s-stop." She whispered, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible.
"I hurt you—"
"Don't stop!" She whimpered, reaching up and holding his head against her bare chest. "I'm okay. Just don't stop." Her words formed as a beg but they came out of her throat like an order. Howl didn't move for a few minutes, his eyes glued to hers. She kissed his nose and finally, she felt him move to reposition himself over her. This time, she would be prepared for the pain that surged through her. As his manhood slid deeper into her body, Korra bit his neck and held a scream in her throat. She felt ashamed for feeling such pain when it was supposed to be perfect.
Howl's slow thrusts were helping her adjust, though. Korra could feel him inside her and, though it caused her pain, she was beginning to enjoy his actions. Her nails dug into his shoulders as his body moved inside of hers. Her mouth hadn't left the spot against Howl's throat, but her teeth had. Instead of biting him, she left sensual kisses up and down his throat. His lips met the cartilage on her eye, and he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. She felt her body tensing up as her mind began to blur. Howl's hand cupped her breast as he continued to push inside of her, occasionally running his thumb over her exposed nipple.
An unknown wealth of pleasure began to surge through her. It started in her throat as she began to let out cries of approval and satisfaction, calling out his name in strangled whispers. She heard Howl's own grunts, as he moved his hand to cup her butt and meet her with every thrust. Then it moved down to where she and Howl were connected, their skin brushing against each other as he moved deeper with inside her. She felt her body began to burn but in the way that gave her extreme pleasure, not utter pain. Howl's whispers grew louder and louder until he could hardly move, her name stuck on his breath.
Korra was about to cry out again when they both gave in to the pleasure, the ultimate act of romance. Her voice caught in the strangled cry as she pulsated, her nails digging into the skin on his back. Howl's body shook as he came, his mind blurring to white. The moment lasted for a minute or so before he could finally see straight, and when he did, he saw her perfect face with a beautiful smile lining her cheeks.
He hesitated in no time, pulling out of her and wrapping his arms tightly around her smaller form. "I love you." He whispered, kissing her knuckles as they intertwined their hands. He heard her exhausted giggle and smiled, burying his face into the crook of her neck, wrapping his arms around her. He heard her content sigh and immediately felt grateful that they hadn't stopped.