CHAPTER 36: Uncomfortable

"I am the light of my soul, I am beautiful, I am bountiful, I am bliss. I am, I am."

Zuko's eyes followed her every movement as she left the tub.

Her skin that glistened, the droplets of water that trickled down her thighs, her wet hair that fell down over her bare back, her bottom.

He smirked to himself.

He felt a pleasant exhaustion wash over him as he closed his eyes and leaned back into the tub, feeling the warm embrace of the water around him.

His muscles relaxed while his body still tingled with the lingering sensations of pleasure from their encounter just before.

He had missed her.

He had missed being close to her, not just physically but also emotionally.

Katara brought him peace, somehow, and intimacy, connection.

It was like she had the power to lift all the weight of uncertainty, anger and fear that had burdened him ever since the destruction of the village.

Having her here again, by his side, brought a sense of completeness that he had not fully realized he had been missing. In her eyes, he found solace and understanding, a connection that transcended the turmoil of his past.

Katara had seen both sides of him.

The hot-headed childish boy he had been, the Fire Nation prince filled with a burning desire to restore his honor and regain his father's approval. Fueled by anger, frustration, and a sense of betrayal, he had pursued the Avatar, and her, relentlessly, with aggressive and impulsive actions.

And despite that, she was still here with him now.

He was older now, more mature. Through his experiences, and especially his time traveling with her and the rest of their group, he had gained more wisdom and maturity. He had learned the importance of empathy, humility and understanding in leadership.

He had understood the power of learning from others, of friendship. Of love.

"Babe, you need to get out of the water now. They're probably waiting for us already," Katara soothed at him from over by the mirror.

She was bending the water out of her hair.

Her voice was still gentle and warm, laced with affection, and it felt like a soft caress against his skin, as if he could sense the lingering echo of the passion and tenderness exchanged between them just before.

"I know," he said with his eyes still closed.

He could stay like this forever.

Just him and Katara.

Suddenly, a small splash of water hit his face, disrupting his moment of tranquility.

Opening his eyes, he saw Katara still looking at herself in the mirror, though now with a mischievous glint in her eyes and a playful smirk over her lips.

He sighed out.

He knew that any resistance was futile when it came to her.

With a reluctant smile, he stood up from the tub, the warm water cascading off his skin as he reached for a nearby towel.

"And don't tease them anymore," she said, as he moved himself close to her, leaning in close to her bare back.

With a gentle touch, he pressed his lips against the small of her neck, while he wrapped his hands around her body, resting his hands gently on her hips.

"Why not?" he smiled. "It's funny."

He lingered there, his breath mingling with the scent of her hair.

He could see her furrowing her brows at him in the mirror.

"I don't think they find it funny," she pressed, a slight tinge of annoyance in her voice. "Did you see the look on Aang's face?"

Zuko could not help but to chuckle into her neck.

Aang had really looked embarrassed, and Nii too.

"Come on, Katara," he chuckled. "They have it so bad for each other. It's so obvious, I mean, anyone in a miles radius can tell, even my uncle."

For just a moment, he imagined his uncle being infatuated with someone.

He quickly pushed that thought away.

Gross.

Katara could not help but to chuckle a little with him, but she quickly composed herself, suppressing her smile and straightening her back a little.

"No really, Zuko," she said as she turned around to face him.

He could not help but to smile teasingly at her.

He loved it when she said his name.

"It's not fair," she added, her words sincere and filled with a genuine desire to foster understanding. "Last time I spoke to Nii, they hadn't even really kissed yet."

Zuko widened his eyes in surprise.

"What?!" he hissed. "Urgh, come on Aang. Pull yourself together!"

A tentative smile broke out over Katara's lips, before she turned around again to start combing her hair.

"I know," she smiled, her gaze unwavering. "But just think about it. He was raised a monk for crying out loud."

Zuko narrowed his eyes a little at her.

"So?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "You think he expects to never have sex? Like, stay in celibacy forever? That'll surely make him the last Airbender... Not very Avatar-bringing-balance-to-the-world-like of him."

Katara furrowed her brows again and clasped her lips shut.

He could tell that she was contemplating his words, weighing them in her mind as she stood there.

She sighed out and turned around again.

"True," she confessed. "But that doesn't mean that you have to tease him about it! He needs to figure that out on his own. He doesn't need some horny friend of his to push him about it."

Zuko smirked before he threw his hands into the air, as if defeated.

"Fine, fine, I'll back off," he grinned, before he turned around to get his clothes off the rack. "Let's get dressed and go to dinner before they die down there from embarrassment and sexual frustrations."

Katara laughed out.

When Zuko and Katara finally made their way into the palace dining hall, a palpable tension hung heavy in the air, almost tangible to the touch.

Their footsteps echoed softly against the polished marble floors as they approached the table where Aang and Nii were already sitting, looking like two school children awaiting to be punished.

Zuko could not help but to gaze over at Katara and they exchanged a knowing glance, their shared understanding of the situation hanging between them like an unspoken secret.

Katara soon furrowed her brows at him, as if telling him to knock it off again.

He giggled under his breath.

"So," Zuko said, breaking the silence between them. "Nii, you've ever had wakame dumplings before?"

Nii widened her eyes with apprehension and she seemed to tremble a little when he spoke her name, while her eyes darted nervously around the room in quick and restless movements, as if she was searching for something, her gaze flickering from one corner to another in rapid succession.

"Uh, no," she said after clearing her throat, and he noticed her shifting uncomfortably in her seat, fidgeting a little with her napkin.

The four of them stayed silent while the food was being served.

The only sound that filled the room was the faint clinking of utensils against plates as they ate their dinner.

Zuko raised his eyebrows and looked at Katara.

Her face contorted slightly, a flicker of unease passing through her eyes as if she was searching for something - anything - to break the tension.

A nervous twitch played at the corner of her mouth.

She cleared her throat.

"Um, so Zuko sent out a messenger hawk to Ba Sing Se yesterday. Hopefully, it won't be long before it gets to Suki. As soon as Toph and Sokka get there, they'll be on their way here," she rushed maybe a bit too quickly.

The tension was so thick, Zuko was sure that he could cut it with a knife.

Aang's eyes flickered to Zuko, a tint of apprehension crossing his face, before he quickly masked it with a forced smile.

"Great!" he breathed, before his eyes darted back to the food on his plate and his smile disappeared.

Another moment of silence passed by.

Nii was picking at her food, her expression strained as she completely avoided eye contact with everyone.

Zuko could not wait for the others to get here.

He was so uncomfortable that he secretly wished he could crawl out of his skin.

He told one of the servants that they would skip dessert.

He wanted this to be over with.

"Hey, uh, Zuko?" Aang said when they were finally done with their dinner. "Can we talk?"

"Yes, please," Zuko said with wide eyes, before they left the girls in the dining room.

He sent Katara an apologetic smile, before they left for the balcony.

The fresh night air felt good on his skin.

He breathed in and sighed out deeply.

"So THAT was uncomfortable," he voiced, as he and Aang made it out on the balcony.

Zuko turned around to rest his elbows on the balcony guardrail, and he looked up at Aang who was standing awkwardly a couple of feet away, tugging slightly at the hem of his clothes.

"Very," Aang agreed in a shy voice.

It was obvious that he was still feeling nervous, and his cheeks flushed with color as he stood there.

Aang took a deep breath as if to steady himself.

"I, uh," he started tentatively, his voice shaking slightly. "I have something kinda awkward to ask you…"

He fidgeted nervously and avoided Zuko's gaze.

Zuko raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah? Go on."

Aang tugged at the hem of his shirt again, gulping down, while he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"It's about, you know, um…" he tried, his face turning an even deeper shade of red, almost the same color of the roofs below. "I just… I wanna… Have you ever…"

Zuko crossed his arms in front of him, his lips curling slightly.

He remembered Katara's words from before dinner.

So he waited.

Aang looked like he could explode from embarrassment any minute now. Like a tea kettle just on the brink of releasing steam.

"I mean," Aang mumbled on, waving his hands awkwardly in the air in front of him. "It's not like we've talked about it before, or… Maybe we have, or, you've kinda mentioned it a little, but…"

It was obvious that he struggled to find the words, and he fidgeted a bit more, twisting his hands nervously as he stood there.

Zuko rolled his eyes.

He could not take this any longer.

"By Agni's flame, spill it, Aang!" he hissed, impatient with the monk in front of him. "You wanna know if I've done it? Like sex, you're asking me about sex?"

Aang widened his eyes for a moment, before he lifted them to meet with Zuko's.

His face was a deep crimson, but he soon nodded in a quick movement, before he looked away.

Zuko could not help but to snicker a little.

"Yeah, I've done it," he rasped before turning around to face the view of the palace garden below them. "What'ya wanna know?"

"Huh," Aang soon breathed in a wavering voice as he walked up to rest his elbows in the balcony railing too. "I don't really know. It's just… I don't know anything. I don't know if I even wanna know anything, it's…"

"Of course you wanna know," Zuko cut in. "You wanna do, uh… Get intimate with her?"

He tried to keep the conversation as casual and light so Aang would not just blow up right then and there and die from embarrassment next to him.

The Avatar - killed by the Fire Lord while talking about sex.

That would make the news.

Aang closed his eyes and clasped his lips into a thin line.

Zuko waited.

"I don't know," Aang finally sighed. "I mean, yeah. I WANT to, but… I don't know if I should…"

Zuko could not help but to chuckle.

"Aang, come on... Don't tell me you're still considering celibacy?!"

Aang sighed out again and let his chin fall to his chest in resignation.

Zuko recognized the feelings of vulnerability that were probably heavy in his friend's heart as they spoke, and he reached over a hand to lay it on Aang's shoulder.

"Dude, you're the Avatar. You're not just a monk anymore. If you don't do it at some point in your life, you'll stay the last Airbender forever. You kind of have a responsibility, you know?"

A long moment of silence passed between them.

Zuko could tell that in his mind, Aang was churning through his words. It was clear that he had thought something along the same lines.

Zuko imagined how hard it must be for him.

"Whenever you're ready, dude," Zuko breathed as he let his hand fall from Aang's shoulder.

Aang gulped down.

Zuko closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of the cool night breeze on his face. He wondered what Nii and Katara were doing.

"So," Aang finally voiced next to him. "What do I… do?"

Zuko curled his lips.

"You just go with it," he said casually, shrugging his shoulders a little. "When she's wet, it means she's ready. And if you don't wanna knock her up right away, pull out before, you know…"

He could see Aang widening his eyes before blushing heavily again, and he turned his head in the other direction.

"And just…" Zuko finally said, trying to be as understanding as possible. "Just try to enjoy yourself, yeah? It's really something."