A moment that was supposed to be sweet and tentative turned carnal the moment Katara and Zuko passed the threshold to the bedroom. Teeth clashed and our hands ran rampant over each other's bodies. Trying our best to get a grasp on the hope I spoke of. Or maybe a grasp on our sanity in the ludicrous situation two teens were forced into. Star-crossed lovers in a war that began long before their time. Destined to fall apart or build from the ruins. Tonight might be a test of that.

Zuko led Katara to the edge of the bed as she braced her back against the bedpost. His fingertips pulled hesitantly at her knotted top while he placed open-mouthed kisses down her neck to her collarbone.

"From the day we arrived here I was sure I would have you," Zuko whispered.

"That red skirt hanging from your waist," he began letting his tongue trail back to the crook under Katara's ear while she whimpered. "hiding the waves of pleasure under a red sea. The mere sight of you stokes my fire."

Katara's knotted top fell to the floor just before she began to rid Zuko of his tunic. He felt her gasp before her hands began to explore the hardness of his chest. Years of breath work and diligent training toned his lean physique with a cut waist making his shoulders appear broader. He was different from Water Tribe men in this sense. He wasn't as rigid and fatty, he was intimidating but not daunting. She felt like having him would be a comfortable fit. Her focus was cut abruptly when Zuko's fingers grazed over her covered nipples.

Katara gasped. "Is this alright?" Zuko questioned.

"Everything is right," She breathed.

With more confidence, Zuko palmed her breasts through her wrappings and began to loosen the confinement. He studied her face and the heady rise and fall of her chest. Katara had full breasts, hips, and lips. Far more endowed than most Fire Nation women. He loved this about her. When she walked, her body swayed like the ocean and her clothes would ripple with any movement teasing the idea of a peek. A man with his build would likely be intimidated by all Katara had to offer. Zuko felt she was made for him.

The wraps fell from her body as he lifted her into his arms. They found themselves in the same position as the other night. This time, Zuko bit gently.

"Honestly," Katara moaned, "I liked how you did it last time."

Zuko spun them off the bedpost and pressed Katara against the mattress with force. He caught her peaked nipple between his teeth and began to lift his gaze to her, dragging the nub with him. Katara met his heated stare with her own, relishing in the sting of pinched and stretched skin.

"You prefer it rough?" He questioned, releasing her peak in the process.

"I've never been particularly delicate," she mused.

Zuko pressed his lips to hers with a searing kiss full of longing and admiration. He trailed these kisses down her neck while his hands roamed lazily on her thighs underneath her skirt.

"You are precious to me," he confessed before capturing the other nipple between his teeth, rolling his heated tongue over the bud.

Katara hissed and arched at his touch. She gripped his hair and shuffled backward to center herself on the mattress, dragging him with her onto the bed. She tugged him up to her lips and bit his bottom lip before dragging a cool hand to the front of his pants.

"Know what you're doing there, Water Bender?" Zuko gasped out.

Katara smirked and effortlessly switched their positions. With Zuko pressed against the mattress, she took a more firm grip on him through his pants. His gruntled choke only fueled her satisfaction and confidence. Katara leaned in letting soft kisses pepper his face, down his neck, and to his torso letting her fingernails on her free hand scrape against his exposed skin. She could feel the blood flowing underneath his skin thundering through his heartbeat. She loved the power she had over him, no bending needed.

She let her hand dance at the waistband of his pants, and met his gaze with sultry eyes, biting her lip.

"Is this alright?" She reused his question.

"Everything is right," he repeated.

Katara removed his pants leaving a very exposed, very naked, banished prince before her. Tui, he was gorgeous. Long and erect. Standing proud and ready to serve like a good Fire Nation prince. All that was missing was the crown. Katara licked her lips as she stroked him, rolling the head between her fingers. A bead of moisture appeared at the tip and she instinctively licked it off him.

"Agni," Zuko hissed, "What was that?"

Katara met his wild, hungry eyes with confusion and then recognition. This was new for him. She leaned in closer and pressed her tongue on him from base to tip with hooded eyes. Zuko's breathing shuddered as he fought the noises forming in the back of his throat. His gaze turned vicious. What was the Water Tribe Vixen doing to him?

"It's cold in the South Pole," she lazily said while peppering kisses to his member. "I keep you warm."

Katara took him in her mouth with no further explanation and Zuko thrashed against the mattress gripping the blankets. He felt her smile around him while she sucked. He had to wonder if this was all just the magic of her beautiful mouth or if she was blood-bending him with her tongue. Either way, he was going to have to put a stop to it soon. Her waves of pleasure were about to take him under.

With a grip on her hair, he attempted to gently pull her off of him, but Katara wasn't having it. She fought against the tug and dug her nails into his hips while picking up the pace. Zuko fought back a moan before sitting upright on the bed and thrusting into her mouth making her gag and lose her grip. Only then did she allow herself to be pulled away.

Zuko kept a firm grip on her hair while he glared into her smug gaze while she wiped the excess spit from her chin. Agni, he wanted to bury that expression into the mattress. This was supposed to be a romantic night right?

"Quite proud of yourself, Water Bender?" Zuko grit.

Katara licked her lips before attempting to wrap her hand around his member again before Zuko quickly swatted her away.

"Do you have any complaints, my banished prince?" She mewled.

She knew he didn't. Her performance was one of acquiescence. His scowl morphed into a smirk just before he flipped their positions once more. He removed the skirt without question and tore the wraps without remorse. The cool air struck her for a moment before Zuko's heated breath seared her center before pulling away. He baited her. His kisses teased her inner thighs and his fingers visited the outskirts but never passed the threshold. Katara's fire was thoroughly stoked. She was nearing an inferno.

"Will you get on with it?" Katara seethed with need.

"Get on with what?" Zuko asked aloof between kisses.

Katara struck her fist against the mattress. "Just like your kind," she scoffed, "elusive and selfish."

"Selfish?" Zuko contested before placing his hands under her bottom, lifting her slightly and spreading her further. His tongue began at her hidden entrance then followed the path north through the valley and finally sucked at the peak.

Katara shuddered at the new sensation. "A little south of the intended destination there?"

Zuko repeated the act with more pressure alternating between what part of her would get prolonged attention. Katara writhed under his heated tongue and skilled fingers, letting little gasps and moans of appreciation escape her lips.

"Fire is very generous, Water Bender," he said before placing a quick kiss on her center. "It ensures everything in its path gets burned."

His words warmed Katara to the core. Or maybe that was his bending. Regardless Katara was growing impatient. His ministrations were everything but not enough. Not what she needed, not what she craved. Her Black Sun was simply not close enough.

"I need you," she pleaded breathlessly.

Zuko trailed kisses up her body until his lips hovered over hers. "I am yours," he pressed his lips to hers.

He began to tug the accessories out of her hair wanting to have her in her raw form. He loved her wild curls and wanted to see them as untamed as she was at that moment. After freeing her hair Katara went to remove her fire nation necklace.

"Wait," Zuko unceremoniously stopped her with his hand over hers. Slightly embarrassed at his brashness, he looked away and spotted the blue accessory on the nightstand. He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before reaching over and taking hold of the necklace.

He held it between his fingers with delicacy. They rubbed against the cloth and studied the resilient pendant that endured every battle with her in this war. This necklace anchored him to her in the days they were apart and was a paramount token of what brought them together. Now that they are here…

"Let me," Zuko quietly demanded.

Zuko unclasped the red necklace never letting go of the blue one. The Fire Nation necklace was nice, but it wasn't her. It served its purpose. It was an imposter, a decoy, a placeholder. Her necklace was the only accessory that could do her slender neck justice. Or at least it would be until Zuko replaced it with one of his own. He knew the implications that came with putting the necklace on Katara. He welcomed them, it was a promise he intended to keep after the war. Her mother's necklace, from this moment on would be a placeholder for his.

He slipped the blue necklace around her neck and secured the clasp gazing into Katara's watery gaze.

"I promise," was all he said.

"I believe you," she responded.

Zuko kissed her long and tender, and let his hands cup the sides of her face to deepen the kiss. Katara's slender fingers wrapped around his back and neck pulling him closer to her. If the two could merge, if the sun and moon could eclipse, that is what they were trying to accomplish. The two paralleled their positions for the inevitable.

"Is this alright?" Zuko caught himself asking again and shook his head with a small smile.

Katara mirrored his smile running her hand along his cheek, thumbing his scar.

In unison, they said, "Everything is right," and became one.

Katara hissed at the stretch and Zuko had to rest his head against her shoulder at the confinement. He pulsed inside her waiting a moment for her to adjust and allow himself to get his bearings. Agni, he prayed for this, hoped for it, bet his future on them. She was his everything, and everything felt so right.

"Zuko, please," Katara whispered into his ear practically squirming for him to continue.

So he did, and gods it felt like the spirits were in the bedroom with them. She pushed and pulled against him, his touch on her skin left her nerves ignited. He plunged deeply into her rolling his hips into her waves, as her mouth breathed fire against his ear then blew ice. She began to arch against the mattress but Zuko pressed his weight firmly against her. No, she could not have control tonight. Tonight she was his. He gripped her thighs and guided her to wrap her legs around his torso, her heels digging into his lower back. She seemed to get tighter around him as she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer. Her whimpers spurred him to pick up the pace. Let's see if Toph would feel the bed creak now.

"Is this alright, Water Bender?" Zuko huskily asked into her ear.

"Everything is so right, Zuko," she moaned. "I need more."

Zuko added a little more force and snuck an arm underneath her, letting his finger dance around the entrance of her backdoor. Pressing and toying at her newly discovered bundles of nerves.

"Is this more?" He moaned into her ear. "Is this what you need?"

"Everything, Zuko, pleaseee" she exclaimed and dug her nails into him even deeper.

How could the banished prince refuse his future fire lady when she asked so nicely? He pressed his finger into her letting it pulse and bounce against the force he was fucking her with. Her legs shook against his hips, her perfect mounds bounced beautifully between them, and her lips quivered while her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Inaudible names of spirits fell from her lips along with his name and she was a vision of pure ecstasy. He had to tell her.

"If I had known you'd look this good underneath me, I would've had you against that tree ages ago," He moaned deeply into her ear. He knew what his voice did to her. It was his favorite weapon of choice.

"Agni, you set me on fire Katara," He graced his lips with her name and she rewarded his generosity with a heated moan.

"I wanna see you ride the wave for me. C'mon Water Bender, make those pretty waves for me. Make it a big one."

"Fuck Tui, La, and Yue…" Katara grits through clenched teeth and a stretched neck. "I'm right there."

Zuko picked the pace up once more and pressed his fingers even deeper into her. "Oh my Water Bender, Katara, what do you do to me? A year of besting me, haunting me through that necklace, spirits my greatest enemy became my greatest desire." He admitted.

"I'd give up my honor for you, I'd give up the throne if it meant another night like this with you. This war be damned, you are my destiny." He professed feeling Katara's walls tighten with every word.

Zuko caught her earlobe between his teeth and made his demands. "Melt for me, Katara. Melt for me, because if this world is to burn I want to be drowned in you first.Melt for me."

With his last words, the dam broke underneath him and he got swept up in the waves of pleasure with her. Fulfilled and spent, Zuko collapsed on top of her their heavy breathing mixing between the two of them. Zuko began to drift to sleep until Katara tapped his shoulder. He lazily slipped out of her and sunk into the mattress next to her gazing at her with wonder and adoration. He had dreamed of this night many times and none of it compared to reality. He watched as she bent the sweat and fluids from their body with ease. She was amazing and far too good for him he thought to himself. A moment of dread took over and Zuko began to tense. What if she regretted it, what if she thought tonight was a mistake?

So for the fifth time tonight, he asked the infamous question, "Is this alright?"

Katara turned to look at him after getting comfortable in the bed. Her post-coital glow was alluring and she presented a calmness and assuredness Zuko was relieved to see. Tonight was the present, but a glimpse into the future. There were no guarantees that tomorrow would be promised, but if there are any tomorrows in their future, they would fight to make them alright.

"Everything is right," she said with a hopeful smile, trailing a finger down the side of his face.

Okay, so I just dedicated a chapter to this moment. We're nearing the end of their story and I want to thank everyone who has read this far and shown my story some love 3