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A Taste Of What Could Have Been	By : moviefan Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 519 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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Chapter List
- 1-Part 1
- 2-Part 2
- 1
- 2
Part 2
Never before could Katara remember feeling so content, so at peace, so satisfied. Granted, the heat of the sauna and her body’s own rise in temperature had her feeling on the verge of passing out, not to mention the fact that Zuko’s own body felt like a furnace on top of hers, but it only served to put her head in a deeper haze that almost had her wanting to drift off to sleep.
But sleep wasn’t in the cards right now. As the last traces of their passion fizzled out, she was once again hit by an onslaught of emotions. She sucked her lips into her mouth to hold back the whimper that wanted to escape her as she hugged Zuko closer in a possessive manner, savoring his closeness as she inhaled his scent. She hadn’t realized until now just how much she needed this, to feel this intimacy with him. And to now finally have it after what felt like forever, even if she hadn’t realized how much she had been craving him, had her smiling broadly.
Eventually though, he let out a sigh, and made to lift off her. On reflex, Katara’s arms tightened around him and her legs suddenly regained their strength, coming up to lock around his waist. “Don’t leave me.”
He stopped rising, and then gave her a tender look as he reached up and gently stroked her cheek. “We’ve been in here a long time, Katara. If we stay in here any longer, we’re going to start to shrivel up.”
He was right. As good as a sauna was for you, staying in one for too long could lead to your skin drying out, not to mention heat exhaustion and heat stroke. She felt she was already close to the first one too, as she didn’t think her body had anymore sweat left to produce to prevent her from drying out for much longer.
Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Plus, I still need to take my soak. You’re welcome to join me though.”
Blushing at his invitation, she gave him a bashful nod. It was odd how him asking if she wanted to bath with him had her embarrassed in light of what they had just done, especially in light of the fact that he was still inside her. But he was right about needing to have his soak in the hot spring. The whole reason he was in here anyway was to help with his injury, which she had probably made worse with all of the physical activity they had just done.
She reluctantly released him and felt a flash of guilt as he winced in pain as he pushed himself up. His softened member slipped out of her as he moved away from her, and she immediately felt a sense of emptiness and loss, as if an essential part of herself was now missing. She could still feel his seed inside her though, soft and tingling, and it gave her a sense of satisfaction at the thought of still having him inside her in some way.
Standing over her, Zuko held out his hand to help her up. She accepted his hand, but pushed herself up rather than having him pull her up and risk him hurting himself further. He apparently noticed, as a frown made its way across his face. She could understand his frustration; it couldn’t be easy feeling so helpless where even minor physical effort could hurt you.
Her wet hair clung to her back from how she had been laying on it, and she combed it out behind her before bending down and picking up their towels. She held Zuko’s out to him and he took it from her with a little more force than necessary.
“It’s ok, Zuko,” she told him, letting him know she had picked up on and understood his frustration. “You need to recover.”
His brow just furrowed irritably at her words. “I can’t even properly make love to you the way I want because of this injury.”
Katara felt a rush of heat flash through her that had nothing to do with the sauna. It also came with the realization that despite his spectacular performance, at least as far as she was concerned, he had still been holding himself back due to his injury, even when he had lost control towards the end. It brought her no shortage of excitement to imagine how skilled he would be as a lover once he fully recovered. And if her father and his uncle’s plans came to pass, she would have plenty of opportunity to experience those skills in the future.
She chose not to mention that though since she shouldn’t even be aware those plans. Instead, she reached for his hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze. “If you hadn’t gained that injury, I wouldn’t even be here to make love with you at all.”
He seemed to consider this for a few moments before his expression softened, and he squeezed her hand back. “And I wouldn’t be here if not for you either.”
She smiled at that and gave his hand a tug. “Come on, let’s get you into that hot spring.”
Still holding hands, they stepped out of the sauna. Despite the air in the next room still being humid from the hot spring, it was like a blast of fresh air compared to the heat of the sauna, not to mention their own heat they had physically generated from their activities. Even though Katara had recovered their towels, neither of them bothered to put them back on. It seemed almost silly to considering what they had just done, but Katara still couldn’t being herself to look at Zuko’s naked form, and so she looked straight ahead as she walked towards the steaming pool of water. She felt a small tug at her hand though when Zuko stopped walking and glanced back at him on reflex.
“We’re supposed to wash off first before getting in,” he reminded her.
Katara blinked. That’s right, she did remember being told that the first time she and her friends had used the hot spring. And with as sweaty as they both were, not to mention how heavily they smelled of sex, they both needed a wash.
Nodding, she led them over to the other side of the room to a luxury that only the wealthy and high-ranking people had. A shower. It was a nice step up from the tubs and basins she was used to and always had to use in the Southern Water Tribe, and it didn’t require the work of filling the tubs and heating the water. And it was leaps and bounds better than the lakes, rivers, and streams she and her friends had needed to use to bathe while traveling around the world.
She stepped into the shower and reached up to pull the lever. She pulled the one to release the hot water and the one to release the cold until they mixed just enough to create the perfect temperature. It felt good on her still overheated skin and she stepped under it with a sigh. She stuck her face under the spray, letting the refreshing feeling wash over her as she marveled at such an invention.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Zuko staring at her as she stood under the flowing water. She gave him a smile and held a hand out to him. He accepted it and stepped under the shower’s spray with her. As he did, his other hand went around her to settle on her lower back, and he pulled her up against him. A gasp escaped Katara as he did this, her hand that wasn’t holding his coming up to rest against his chest.
They stood under the spray together, both of them with their eyes on each other. Zuko’s gaze was heated and lustful, making Katara’s heart race all over again. She could feel his own heartbeat beneath her hand and glanced down at it before looking up at him again. Slowly, without taking his eyes off her, he reached up to the shelf behind her and picked up one of the jars. He poured some of the contents in his hand before setting the jar back down.
“Turn around,” he told her.
Katara wordlessly did as she was told, and a few moments later, she felt Zuko’s hands in her hair, creating a sudsy lather that he worked into her wet locks. She sighed in contentment as his fingers gently scrubbed her scalp, enjoying the pseudo-massage. There was something so soothing, so… intimate of having him wash her hair, and she closed her eyes in both delight and to keep the bubbles out of her eyes.
Once he finished with the washing, he rinsed the suds out. Then she felt him reach around her again as he picked up the bar of soap. He once again worked up a lather in his hands before he began running them over her body, still holding the bar as he did so. And while she may have appeared calm on the outside, her heart continued to beat rapidly in her chest, and she had to struggle to keep her breathing normal. The feel of Zuko’s soapy hands running over her body was quickly stirring up her arousal once more.
Her hands clenched at her sides as she struggled to remain still. All the while, Zuko’s hands continued to glide all over her body. And for some reason, being with him like this in her element felt far more intimate. She wondered if Zuko felt it too as he proceeded to lather up her body, and she couldn’t help but notice how he spent particular attention to certain parts of her body.
He was crouched down now, running his hands up and down one leg and then the other. When he finished washing her, he rose up behind her again, and she felt his arms circle around her middle and settle on her stomach. Most of the suds had been washed away at his point, and he began rubbing the bar of soap in circles over her stomach, not for cleaning purposes, but simply for the sensation. He moved closer to her, and her backside pressed against his crotch.
Her breath hitched as she felt his semi-erect cock against her rear. Was he already close to recovering from their session in the sauna? The thought had her lightly biting her bottom lip and she rubbed her bottom against him. A few moments later, she felt his lips on her shoulder, and he began pressing feather light kisses up her neck, nuzzling her hair and head to the side for more room. She gave him more access by tilting her head and almost gasped out loud when he began sucking on her pulse point.
Soon they were moving together, just small subtle movements that they didn’t even seem aware of. At least Katara hadn’t been, not right away anyway. It was almost instinctual what they were doing, like blinking or breathing, and she hadn’t even noticed her body moving with him right away. What she did become aware of was his hand that wasn’t holding the soap moving down her body to her center until he was cupping her mound.
She inhaled sharply as he rubbed her. Her passion was quickly rekindling under his touch, and she felt him stiffen further against her backside. She decided to return the favor and brought her hand up to cover the one he still held the soap in, and she took the bar from him. Then she began to turn in his arms until she was facing him, letting her breasts rub against his chest as she did so.
Once they were facing each other, she waved her hand towards the jar he had used earlier and a glob of shampoo floated out; she’d wondered if her Waterbending would work on it. With a playful smile, she floated it up over Zuko’s head and then let it splat down on top of him. He closed his eyes and let out a small growl of mock annoyance, making her giggle. A somewhat amused smile spread across his face too as he reached up and began scrubbing his hair.
As he set to work on that, Katara began running the bar of soap over his chest, being extra careful around his injury. She rubbed the soap over his skin to build up a lather and then used her other hand to spread it around. As she did so, she felt his cock harden as it rose up between her legs to press against her nether-lips. She paused briefly in her washing at the contact, sucking in a breath and squeezing the bar of soap, but then resumed her actions, as if this were nothing out of the ordinary.
She washed his whole upper body, then moved down to his lower half. She felt her cheeks heat up as her hands moved to his hips, keeping her eyes on him as he washed the suds from his hair. She worked up some more lather before taking hold of his now fully erect cock with her soapy hand. Zuko groaned as she began stroking up and down his length, and it was very apparent that she wasn’t merely washing the appendage.
“Katara,” he practically gasped out.
The way he said her name had her smiling, but it also made her want to tease him some more, so she released his cock and resumed washing him. To do so meant getting down lower, and so she sank down to her knees, dragging her breasts all the way down his front in the process. Then she proceeded to wash one leg and then the other.
By the time she was finished, the water had already washed away the rest of the suds from his body, giving her a clear view of his member. She had actively avoided looking at it before out of shyness while washing him, and hadn’t really gotten a good look at it due to the angle while they had been in the sauna. But now she finally allowed herself to take a look, and her eyes widened as she did so.
Zuko’s cock stood tall and proud mere inches from her face. By the gods, had that really fit inside her? Looking at it now, she would have thought that it was too big. Not that she had seen any to compare it to beside little kids in her village. Were they supposed to be that big, or was Zuko just well-endowed?
Once again, she took hold of his length, admiring how large he felt in her hand, and began stroking him. She glanced up at Zuko, seeing him standing there with his eyes closed as he enjoyed her touch, then she returned her attention to his member. As she stroked him though, she was surprised by the sudden urge to taste him. The unexpected urge had her thinking back to how he had used his mouth on her back in the sauna and the pleasure it had brought her. And with that thought, she was now overcome with the desire to give him the same pleasure he had given her as well as the need to discover what he tasted like.
As she continued to stroke his length, she caught herself unconsciously licking her lips. Her actions surprised her, as she never thought that she would want to do something like this. But then, she had done many things this past… hour or so that she surprised herself in doing. And now she was practically salivating at the thought of taking him into her mouth.
Deciding not to dwell on it, she gave into her desire and brought her face closer. She had no idea how to go about what she intended to do, and so decided to just wing it. She gripped Zuko by his base and turned his cock upward before dragging her tongue up the entire underside to his tip. She heard a gasp come from Zuko and felt him go tense, but she pushed forward and wrapped her lips around his swollen head.
“K-Katara!” he gasped out.
She took his reaction as a good sign as she sucked on his head, making circles around it with her tongue. Running her thumb up and down his underside, she took more of him into her mouth, keeping her lips sealed tightly over him. She sucked on what she was able to fit in her mouth, wondering if she was doing it right, and a few seconds later, she felt Zuko’s hand on the back of her head as he tangled his fingers through her hair.
Taking that as a sign that she was doing the right thing, or at least making things enjoyable for him, she sucked even harder while taking more of him in. His hand on the back of her head encouraged her, applying light pressure as she fit more of him into her mouth. She swallowed as much of him as she could until she felt him touch the back of her throat. And after having taken him in that far, the light pressure Zuko was applying to the back of her head eased up, and he pulled back slightly with her hips.
Following his lead, Katara pulled back her head as well, sucking on him as she did so while dragging her lips along his length. She stopped when she reached his head again, then felt him reapply pressure to the back of her head, and began to take him back into her mouth again. The process was repeated, giving her a feel as to how the activity worked, and she soon fell into a rhythm, bobbing her head up and down his length.
Up above, she could hear Zuko emitting quiet groans and exhales, and she glanced up at him as her mouth continued to work on his length. His eyes were still closed, but there was no mistaking the look of enjoyment on his face. It gave her a feeling of pride and sent an erotic thrill through her to know she could pleasure him in his way.
As she continued to use her mouth on him, her hand that wasn’t gripping him moved between her legs and she inserted a finger inside herself. She moaned around his cock, the humming sensation causing Zuko to groan. Her finger felt almost inadequate compared to his own though, not to mention his tongue or his cock, but she knew how to pleasure herself, and she thrusted her finger in and out of herself as she proceeded to suck on his length, keeping her eyes up on him the whole time.
Zuko proved that he had more stamina than her, something he had already displayed back in the sauna. That was made apparent again now where, after both sucking on his length while touching herself at the same time for several minutes, she was the one who ended up shuddering in climax rather than him. A muffled whimper escaped her as she trembled on her knees, and her mouth came off of him as she sucked in an intake of air.
For the next several moments, she enjoyed her orgasm, and it felt even better than when she normally pleasured herself. Was it because she had been pleasuring him too at the same time? Perhaps. Zuko let her enjoy her climax though until her shaking calmed down. His hand was still on the back of her head though, and he gathered up a handful of her wet locks before giving it a light tug, using just enough force to encourage her to stand up once more.
She did so, and the moment she was on her feet, Zuko pulled her to him. His lips sought out hers and she immediately opened to him, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Katara’s arms went around his neck, hugging him close, and his hands settled on her lower back, holding her flush against him. Their groins pressed against each other, his cock flattened between their stomachs.
Katara pressed herself even closer to him and lifted a leg, wrapping it around his calf, allowing her to rub herself against him. They continued to make out heavily as the warm water poured over their heads, their tongues rubbing together as sensually as their bodies. And as their kiss went on, Katara found herself steadily getting dipped backwards. Her arms only tightened around his neck even further as her leg wrapped more securely around his.
She must have leaned back too far for Zuko’s injury, making him hold up too much of her weight, because he suddenly broke the kiss with a grunt of pain. She internally winced for him and quickly set her leg down and stood up straight on her own. She cursed herself for, once again, forgetting how injured he was, but being here in Zuko’s arms, feeling the things he made her feel, made it far too easy to forget everything else. His pained grunt made her feel guilty for having caused it, especially when he had brought her nothing but pleasure. How many other times had she accidentally hurt him with him being able to hide it?
“Perhaps we should get you in the hot spring,” she suggested.
He gave her an apologetic look, as if he were the one who should be sorry for her hurting him. “That might be best.” But then he slightly cocked his head to the side, now giving her a hopeful look. “If you’re still willing to join me.”
She smiled at that. “That was my intention.”
Reaching out, she shut of the water, then stepped around Zuko, intentionally brushing her shoulder against him. She didn’t even look back as she made her way over to the hot springs, knowing that Zuko would follow, and a few moments later, she heard him come after her.
There were actually several individual pools, each one looked equally as appealing. Katara simply approached the closest one, briefly dipping her toe in the water to feel how hot it was. It took her a few seconds to get used to the heat before she slowly slipped into the pool, going slowly to adapt to the higher temperature, and she settled in with a sigh.
She found the edge and sat down, then glanced up at Zuko. He too was currently dipping his foot in the water, and then slowly crouched down to sit on the side, letting his legs dangle in the pool. Katara frowned at the slightly strained look on his face. Doing things like bending over or sitting or standing up seemed to cause him real discomfort. How had he managed to make love to her the way he had in the sauna? Had he simply prioritized the pleasure over the pain, or had she sufficiently distracted him from it?
“Are you ok?” she asked in concern. “Do you need help?”
He just shook his head. “Getting up or down is just difficult right now, but I can manage.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Stubborn male pride. But she trusted Zuko if he said he could manage. After all, he had picked her up in the sauna when they had been making love. But then that thought caused her to frown. Doing that had to have caused him a great deal of pain as well with the strain it must have put on his injury. Had he managed to hide his pain then since he had braced himself for it, or had she simply failed to notice? Well, she vowed not to forget again and to take better care from here on out.
One thing was for sure though, whatever pain and discomfort his injury brought didn’t do anything to dampen his arousal. She could see that he was still fully erect as he slid into the water, wincing slightly at the effort as he lowered himself. She would take care of that soon enough though, but there was something else she had to take care of first.
Before that though, she allowed them both a couple minutes to soak in the hot water. As a Waterbender, she could feel the healing properties of the spring. It was no spirit oasis, but it was a step above regular water. And while there was a minor sulfuric smell, it felt soft against her skin. But just like the sauna, she knew it wouldn’t do well to stay in for too long. In fact, the last time she and her friends had used these springs, Sokka had stayed in for so long that he had actually passed out.
With another sigh, she looked over at Zuko. He had gotten into the same spring as her and was watching her intently. It made her cheeks heat up even more than the hot water. Thanks to the heat and the fogginess of the water, it was different to see through the water’s surface, but she suspected that he was still aroused; she certainly was. But first thing was first, and she pushed up from her spot and swam-walked over to him.
Zuko had been leaning against the side, but now sat up more as she approached. The water came up nearly to his shoulders, keeping his injury submerged. Katara came to a stop in front of him and once again gathered up more water with her Waterbending, and it began glowing as she pressed her hand to his chest. She could see the glow of the water surrounding her hand beneath the surface as she gently ran it over his injured area.
Zuko let out a sigh as her healing worked its magic. He shifted to completely sit up straight, exposing his injury above the water’s surface so she could actually see what she was doing. As he did so, Katara kept her hand on his chest, and she felt her elbow bump the top of his erect cock, revealing that her earlier assumption was right, he was indeed still just as aroused as her. But first, another quick healing session.
And that’s what she set to work doing, running her glowing hands over his injury. Zuko’s arms were stretched out on the side of the spring, holding himself up slightly. She hoped that wasn’t hurting him, but figured that the buoyancy of the water was helping to support his weight. She made sure to keep an eye out for any sign that he might be in pain though, not wanting to accidentally hurt him again.
She finished up without any issue though, letting the water she was Bending drop. She looked up at Zuko and saw him watching her, and he gave her a grateful smile. “I really appreciate these healing sessions.”
She gave him a somewhat playful smile. “When I’m not hurting you, you mean?”
He now gave her a serious look. “It was more than worth it.”
A thrill of excitement ran through her. “W-Well, there will be plenty more of these healing sessions in the future.”
She realized a moment later what exactly her words could be implying, even if that hadn’t been what she meant. She shyly averted her eyes, letting them drift down to the mark on his chest. Her hand rested beside the injury, and she gently traced a finger over it. As she did so, a strange compulsion came over her, and she gave into it. Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss directly over the mark. She heard Zuko’s breath hitch, and she did it again, lightly pressing a series of kisses over his injury.
At some point, she exchanged one compulsion for another, and she gave into this one as well, letting her tongue poke out of her mouth and trail over the mark. Not entirely sure why she was doing what she was doing, she began licking up the droplets of water trailing down his chest, moving beyond his injury as she began licking over the entire expanse of his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of the trail she licked before starting at the bottom again.
She did this for a minute or two before Zuko finally made a move. Dropping his arms back onto the water, he grabbed hold of her and pulled her into his lap. A gasp escaped Katara as she ended up sitting sideways on his cock, feeling it under her rear. But then Zuko reached up and took hold of her chin, turning her to face him. He looked into her eyes and she saw the desire in his gaze that she knew was also reflected in her own. Then he leaned in to kiss her, and she moved to receive him.
They kissed for a time, Zuko keeping one arm around her while the hand gripping her chin dropped into the water and began exploring and caressing her body. If he was attempting to arouse her again, he need not bother, as she was already still fully aroused from what they had done together in the shower. Even sitting here in the hot spring, she could feel how wet she was.
Breaking the kiss, she let her eyes dart down to his chest before giving him a concerned look. “Will you be ok? What about your injury?”
He gave her a smile and an appreciative look before reaching up to stroke her cheek. “Like I said, it’s more than worth it.”
Yes, yes, he had. And if he was eager and willing, then so was she. More than willing actually, she absolutely burned for him, and no, it wasn’t because of the hot water. So, trusting that he knew his limitations, and with a promise to be wary of his injury, they resumed kissing.
At first he focused on her lips, but then his kisses made their way down her chin to her neck, right to that spot that made her shiver in delight. He licked up the water droplets running down her neck, much as she had with his chest, then sealed his lips over her pulse point once more, and this time seemed intent on leaving a mark on her. She relished the thought of him laying some kind of claim to her as such and let a sigh of pleasure escape her.
As he focused on her neck, he slowly turned her in his lap until she was facing away from him, her back to his front, and his hands went around her to take hold of her breasts, massaging and kneading them in his grip. Katara panted heavily as he rolled her breasts around while sucking on her pulse point. She in turn began shifting in his lap, rotating her hips around while sitting on his cock. Zuko moaned against her neck, gripping her breasts tighter, giving her nipples special attention, tweaking and rolling them around between his fingers, pulling on them lightly.
When he had sufficiently reduced her to a quivering, desperate pile of need, she reached back with one hand to tangle her hand in his hair before turning her head and claiming his lips. “Zuko, please,” she begged against his lips when the kiss ended. “I need you so much. Please, I need you inside me.”
He didn’t answer, he simply kissed her once more before easing her off his lap. Then he pushed himself up and moved around her so they were face-to-face with her back up against the side of the spring. She leaned against it and parted her legs for him in invitation. He accepted, moving to stand between her, and reached down to lift one of her legs and hook it around his waist, much like she had in the shower.
As he moved in, Katara felt his cock brush against her entrance, and anticipation ran through her. Making a conscious effort to remember his injury, she locked her hands around his neck, making sure the wall behind her and the edge of the seat supported her weight rather than him. She then watched as, with his other hand, he reached between them and took hold of himself. The water was too foggy for either of them to see what much of anything beneath it, but she felt as he sought out her nether-lips and lined himself up with here entrance. And once he was in place, he released himself and placed his hand on her lower back before he began to push his way in.
Katara’s eyes fluttered and her head fell back with a moan as she felt him filling and stretching her. He let out a groan of his own as he pushed forward until his hips met hers and she was cradling him between her thighs. One of her hands moved up higher to the back of his head as she lifted hers, and she pulled him in for a heated kiss. Lips and tongues began moving against each other as Zuko began thrusting into her.
She moaned into his mouth, but kept their lips sealed together as they fell into a rhythm. She worried about possible hurting him again, but when he showed no sign of pain, she let herself get carried away by the pleasure, allowing thought to recede as she gave herself over to sensation.
Zuko kept one hand on her lower back while the other continued to keep her leg wrapped around his waist, aiding in their movements. He pushed off with his feet with every thrust, driving into her again and again as he pulled her into him, their chests rubbing and sliding against each other as they proceeded to kiss. Katara’s heel urged him forward with every thrust as her leg on the spring floor gave her leverage to lift her hips to meet each of his thrusts. One of her arms was draped around the back of his neck, keeping their faces together, the other wrapped around his back, keeping their bodies in contact as they moved in sync.
The water splashed around them from their movements, but Katara was only aware of him and their mutual cries of pleasure began echoing throughout the room. It was impossible for her to remain silent though, and she let her moans and cries fall freely from her lips.
“Oh, spirits! La!” she eventually cried out as she felt an orgasm tear its way through her.
She clung to him tightly, lifting her body to press herself flush against him. Zuko braced himself against the side of the hot spring as she trembled against him, the support of the wall and the buoyancy of the water allowing him to hold her weight without hurting himself. He held her to him as she continued to lose all control of her body until she eventually went slack, reaching behind her to press a hand against the seat to help hold her up.
As she panted from the last traces of her orgasm, Zuko set down her leg she had wrapped around his waist. Then he carefully began to turn her around, slipping out of her in the process. Katara allowed the change in position, lacking the energy to resist even if she wanted to. Once he had her back to him, her knees on the edge of the seat as her hands gripped the side of the hot spring, he moved in again, pressing his groin against her backside. She felt him slip his cock between her ass cheeks and he began grinding against her.
He continued to tease her this way, awakening her body and setting it aflame once more with the promise of more pleasure. And once he had her reenergized and ready for more, he adjusted his hips, slipping his cock between her legs so the tip of it was pressed against her nether-lips, not penetrating, but rubbing against her.
He began moving his hips once more, her nether-lips parting to allow his length to slide against them without entering her, turning his teasing into torment. As he did this, his hands went to work, one of them exploring her back and side while the other moved around her to give attention to her front. He proceeded to hump against her as his hands stimulated her, stirring up her passion more and more.
“Zuko, please!” she practically shouted when she could no longer take it anymore.
He leaned in to speak directly in her ear, and she could hear the smile in his voice as he did so. “Do you want me, Katara?”
“Yes!” she gasped out desperately. “I want you so much!”
He pressed a kiss behind her ear before rising up behind her again. She felt him shift his stance and this time when he drove his hips forward, instead of simply sliding against her, the head of his cock completely parted her nether-lips and he slid up and inside her. A whimpering sound escaped her as her back arched and a shiver ran through her, her hands gripping the edge of the hot spring as her eyes rolled up into the back of her head before sliding shut in delight. A few moments later, she felt Zuko lean over her, resting his forehead on her back between her shoulder blades.
They remained like that for a time, neither moving, just savoring the feeling of being joined. Katara took deep, steady breaths, breathing through her nose and out her mouth. Then she felt Zuko press a kiss to her back before he lifted his head. He gathered up her hair and held it to the side, exposing her neck to him, and he began kissing and nipping at the sensitive area there as his other hand came around to play with her breasts.
He still wasn’t moving yet, not how she needed him to, and she wiggled her hips to indicate her need. He still didn’t move though, possibly as a way to build up her anticipation, and just when she thought she would go crazy if he didn’t start moving soon, she focused on her inner muscles and squeezed them as hard as she could, causing her walls to clench around him. She heard him groan in response, but she seemed to get her point across, as he decided to stop teasing her.
Lifting himself up, he took hold of her shoulder while maintaining his grip on her hair. Then he pulled his hips back and thrusted into her. She cried out loudly as he finally delivered the sensation she craved, gripping the side of the hot spring even tighter. He was slow to pull out, stopping when only his head remained inside her, before rapidly slamming his hips into her again. The motion caused her to cry out again, and he began repeating the pattern of slowly pulling out before slamming back in.
It was everything Katara needed and more. The long, drawn-out retreat followed by the rapid re-entry, it caused her toes to curl and her breath and voice to escape her each time. He did this a few dozen times before his pulling outs slowly started to gain speed. It was a gradual pace increase, but eventually he was moving in and out of her at a steady rhythm that had them both moaning and panting.
Katara moved with him, shoving her hips back at him in time with his thrusts. Each time his hips met hers, he had her seeing stars, even behind her eyelids when her eyes were closed. She clenched her teeth against the pleasure as her head twisted left and right. Zuko’s grip on her hair tightened and he gave it a light yank, just hard enough to force her head back enough so she was facing the ceiling. And while a gasp of surprise escaped her, she relished in the rough treatment.
Water sloshed around them as they continued to thrust against each other. Katara’s moans were practically constant as she kept pace with her lover. Zuko maintained his grip on her shoulder and hair, keeping her head back. He eventually released her shoulder and repositioned her, then shifted back slightly until she was standing before reaching down to pick up her leg, setting it down so her foot was resting on the seat. Then he reached around her and took hold of her breast as he began thrusting into her even faster. The new position providing a new series of delightful sensations.
It was happening again, the build-up of another orgasm. How was Zuko so good at this? Not that she was complaining as she raced towards her climax. And when her orgasm hit, she screamed so loudly that even in the back of her lust-filled mind, she worried that the guards might hear, even though several doors and distance separated them and her and Zuko. There was no possible way for her to remain silent though as her body spasmed, her foot that was up on the seat sliding down to join her other one on the floor. One of her palms slapped against the side of the hot spring while the other gripped the edge as she struggled to hold herself upright.
Zuko offered her no reprieve. Releasing her hair, he pulled her so she was standing upright and wrapped both arms around her. His hands slid down to rest against her lower stomach and groin as he began moving her in time with his thrusts. Licking her lips, Katara struggled to regain her strength and lifted a hand to cup the back of his head. As she began moving with him again on her own, she took one of his hands and brought it up to her chest, silently indicating what she wanted. He immediately complied and began fondling the breast she had placed his hand on, and she released his wrist to reach back and grab hold of his hip, pulling him into her encouragingly as they moved.
She could hear and feel Zuko panting hotly in her ear, his cheek pressed against the side of her head. Her skin felt hypersensitive, and she could feel the rough texture of his scar against her cheek, as well as the starburst-shaped mark on his chest against her back. The feel of his markings brought no sense of disgust though, and if anything, only served to excite her further. But then he turned things up another notch when his thumb began stroking her clit as he continued to thrust into her, stimulating her even further.
It was all too much, the pleasure so intense that she felt her knees go weak. They buckled slightly and she almost fell forward. Zuko’s arms around her prevented her from falling, but he did lean them over enough to allow her to take hold of him the seat underwater for balance. He briefly stopped thrusting, giving her a few moments to catch her breath and compose herself.
Panting heavily, she glanced over her shoulder at him. She reached back with one hand, reaching up to stroke his cheek. He took her hand in his and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Then he released her hand and took hold of her hips and resumed his thrusting. Mumbling incoherently, she dropped her hand back underwater again to help push back at him. Zuko’s fingers dug into her hips with near-bruising force, but the minor pain didn’t bother her, and she just shoved herself back at him even harder every time he brought his hips forward.
It was so hot. If she wasn’t already soaking wet, Katara thought she would be sweating just as much as she had been in the sauna from how vigorously she and Zuko were going at it. Or perhaps that was simply due to the heat of the hot spring. It served to make her head feel fuzzy, or maybe that was due to the feeling of ecstasy flowing through her. It was overwhelming, and she almost found herself attempting to move away from it as her hands moved forward across the seat and up the side of the spring to grip the edge once more.
At her shift in position, Zuko released her hips and grasped her shoulders, using them as leverage to help drive himself into her. Katara cried out with every thrust, rising up onto her tiptoes each time, her breasts bouncing around in time with their movements. They went on like that until another immense wave of pleasure raced through her again, making her knees once again go weak, and she determined the feeling was a type of mini-orgasm. To keep from collapsing though, she shuffled forward and climbed back up onto the seat.
She knelt on the seat, Zuko standing between her legs, and rested her arms on the side of the spring. Zuko moved closer until he was practically laying on top of her, his breath now hot in her ear. He locked his arms underneath hers and once again grasped her shoulders as he started moving again. Katara much preferred the closer contact, as it allowed her to enjoy the feel of his body against hers, of their skin sliding together. It heightened the experience and made it all the better.
They went on like that until the now almost familiar feeling of another orgasm building up began again. And this time she couldn’t help voicing the delights of her body through her moans. “Zuko… I’m going… to cum… again…”
At this, he lifted himself up from her, placing one hand on her shoulder while the other gripped her hip. “So am I… soon…”
Despite that meaning that this was going to end, Katara found herself quite eager to once again experience the feel of him cumming inside her. The thought of it only served to heighten her arousal and push her to the end even faster. As if sensing how close she was, Zuko doubled his efforts, thrusting faster and harder into her as he tightly gripped her shoulder and hip, pulling her into him almost aggressively, now letting out grunts in time with her moans.
It became more than Katara could take, and her back arched as she once again cried out her pleasure as she began trembling in orgasm. Behind her, she heard Zuko’s own cry mix with hers as he joined her in climax, and she once again felt his seed spraying against her womb as he held himself deep inside her. They trembled together in their shared climax before they both collapsed, almost simultaneously, her against the side of the hot spring and him on top of her.
Long moments passed as they both panted heavily. Had Katara not been resting against the side of the spring, she was sure she would have sunk into the water, especially with Zuko practically lying on top of her. She didn’t mind his weight though, but after a minute or two, she felt him lift himself up and wrap his arms around her. He turned them so he was the one sitting, pulling her with him so she was in his lap, lying back on him. He didn’t react with any pain, so she guessed she wasn’t hurting him by lying on him like this.
With a sigh, she relaxed against him, enjoying the serene satisfaction of post-coitus bliss falling over her. She almost felt as if she could stay like this forever. After several minutes though, she began to feel herself start to drift off to sleep. But then that reminded her of the dangers of falling asleep in a bath, as well as of how Sokka had passed out the first time they had used the hot spring, and so she decided that it would be best to get out before that happened to either of them.
Opening her eyes, she now sighed in resignation. “We should get out now,” she reluctantly told Zuko.
She heard him let out a groan behind her, as if he too wanted nothing more than to remain where they were. “I suppose so. We’ve been in here far longer than we should have been.”
Katara was about to ask how he knew, as she had lost all concept of time while they had been making love. But then she noticed how pruney her fingers were. They must have been in the water a long time for that to have happened, at least to this extent; thirty minutes at least.
She let out a light chuckle. “Too long in the sauna and now too long in the hot spring. We’ll have to be more careful before we pull a Sokka.”
She felt and heard him chuckle behind her as he caught on to her meaning. “We wouldn’t want that. And we should also probably get out before he or one of our friends comes looking for us or decide they want a soak too; they have been granted access back here.”
Yes, that was why she had been allowed back here. How had she not thought of that when she had allowed this whole love session to begin? The absolute last thing they needed was for her brother, father, or one of their friends to come looking for them and find them together like this. They already knew she had come back here to give him a healing session, so this would likely be the first place they would come looking. Unless they thought that so much time had gone by that they didn’t think that she and Zuko would still be back here.
“We better be quick then,” she told him.
With great reluctance, she pushed herself off him. She felt his softened member slip out of her body as she did so, and once again immediately felt a sense of loss, as if she were suddenly incomplete. Zuko rose up behind her and they exited the spring and made their way back over to the shower, this time for a quick rinse, just a rinse.
They washed off in silence, and once they were done, Katara did them the courtesy of drying them both off with her Waterbending by quite literally pulling the water off them, leaving even their hair dry. Then they went about getting dressed.
Neither of them spoke since exiting the hot spring, but as they finished getting dressed, Zuko finally broke the silence. “Katara… what was all this?”
She paused while in the process of putting on her mother’s necklace. She supposed the question was justified, as she did kind of sporadically take things in an intimate direction rather suddenly, at least from his point of view. She stared at her mother’s necklace, her father’s engagement gift to his wife, and wondered if she should tell him about what she had heard his uncle and her father discussing.
She internally shook her head. No, it would be best to keep that to herself for now. She wanted to see where their relationship went from here after what had happened between them first. She could always tell him what she overheard later, either before or after her father and his uncle brought up the subject. For now, she wanted to see how things went between them without that expectation hanging over them.
“I… I’m not sure…” she told him in partial honesty. “I guess… I was just trying to figure some things out.” She looked at him. “Trying to work through some feelings, you know.”
He stared at her for several long moments, not saying anything, then slowly made his way over to her. Reaching out, he took the necklace from her and brought it up, placing it on her himself, then gave her an inquiring look.
“And did you?” he asked. “Work them out?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it again, not entirely sure what to say. This whole experience had opened her eyes to many things regarding Zuko, but she wasn’t sure if getting into it right now was the right time. Emotions were running high for both of them, that much was obvious, and she didn’t want that to affect anything or cloud her judgment or his in light of what they just did. It would be better to let this simmer for a little while before they made any decisions.
Reaching up, she cupped his scarred cheek. “Let’s talk about it later, ok? For now,” she gave him a smile, trying to lighten the mood, “we should go before our friends come looking for us.”
He seemed to hesitate a moment before reaching up and covering the hand that was cupping his cheek. “Very well, if that’s what you want.”
She gave him a grateful smile before rising up on her toes to kiss him. It only lasted a second or two before she pulled back, then headed for the exit. Zuko was right behind her, but she didn’t look at him, not wanting him to see the smile and blush she knew was on her face.
Her blush deepened further when they walked past the guards and she realized that they were different ones from the ones she had passed to enter. That meant that she had been in there long enough for the guards to change shifts. And while she didn’t know how long that was, it was embarrassing to think that she and Zuko had gotten lost in each other for so long.
Well, if things went the way her father and Iroh were planning, then there would be many repeats in the future. Because despite what she had told Zuko, she had come to a decision. She would accept a marriage between them. Or, more specifically, she would agree to a marriage between them. Because Iroh was right, a marriage between them would indeed be greatly beneficial in a number of ways, for peace, for their nations, for the world as a whole and yes, even for them as individuals.
Iroh was right about that, they were good for each other, and she was sure that they could be happy together and have a successful and fulfilling marriage. They got along great, they understood, related to, and supported each other better than anyone else, and they made each other better people. All his qualities essentially checked off all the checkmarks for a happy, healthy, and successful marriage. Zuko was, quite literally, everything she could ever want or hope for in a husband.
And then there was the most important factor on a personal level. Love. Katara had known that she was greatly attracted to Zuko, more so than anyone else, but she hadn’t been sure if she loved him, at least in a romantic way. She knew she had great chemistry with him and was harboring some pretty intense feelings for him, but she needed to figure out what those feelings were exactly. That had been what had transpired between them, she had been physically expressing her feelings, allowing them to guide her, which had been what had led to them making love.
Did she still have questions? Of course. But she had confirmed that here feelings were definitely beyond that of friendship. She supposed that they would be classified as a crush, but they felt like so much more than that, so much more intense, so much deeper. They were definitely greater than what she had felt for Jet, or anyone else for that matter. She’d even say that her feelings for him were well on their way to love, if they weren’t there already; she wasn’t sure since she had never been in love before. But she knew one thing for certain, she most definitely could fall in love with him in the future.
She still needed some more time though. This was all happening so fast, and she didn’t want to rush into anything. But she could definitely and easily see a future with Zuko as his wife. That’s why she was willing to accept a marriage between them. And it was as Iroh had said, they could have a long-term engagement, during which time she and Zuko could actually be a couple. And if it turned out that things weren’t working out between them, then the engagement could always be called off; engagements were called off all the time, political and non-political ones alike.
But, truthfully, she could indeed see herself being happy with Zuko. She could picture their future together, and the thought of it brought a smile to her face. She could see it now, the two of them in a loving relationship, ruling the nation as Fire Lord and Fire Lady, using their power and influence to help people and make the world a better place, their children laughing as they ran up and down the halls.
That last thought caused her smile to widen even further. While she was still young, she found the thought of having Zuko’s children to be very appealing. Even now the thought of possibly becoming pregnant in light of what they had just done brought forth a deep sense of happiness. She was rather surprised at how eager she found herself looking forward to a future where she felt Zuko’s child growing inside her, of holding their baby in her arms, of raising and loving it together with him in a future free of war.
But it was too soon for that. As appealing as the thought of having his children was, it was too soon. That was something she wasn’t ready for and couldn’t allow to happen until after they were wed, less the intended unity their marriage was meant to represent become an international scandal instead. She would need to mix some contraception herbs with her tea as soon as possible.
Fortunately, she knew where Suki kept her stash, though the thought of why the Kiyoshi Warrior needed them in the first place had her cringing as her subconsciousness conjured up images of Suki and her brother doing what she and Zuko had just done. But even that disturbing image did nothing to quell the warm and fuzzy feeling she got of picturing her and Zuko’s future kids. They really would make such beautiful children together.
But she was getting ahead of herself. Her vision was too one-sided. She may have a better grasp on her own feelings, but there were still Zuko’s to consider. She was fairly certain that he had feelings for her too, but they still had things to discuss, which they would do later tonight, once the aftermath of their lovemaking had worn off a bit. Perhaps he wasn’t ready to enter into another relationship so soon after losing Mai. If that was the case, then she could wait. At the very least, their upcoming talk should open him up to the idea of a relationship with her, and so when her father and his uncle presented the idea of marriage to them, he would at least be more open to the suggestion.
And if he was ready and willing to start a relationship with her now, well, all the better. They might even consummate their new relationship by making love again. And while the thought of them becoming intimate again brought on a feeling of delight that had her stomach flipping and heart pounding in anticipation, the thought of making love in his bed felt so much more personal and made her even more eager.
Even though they had just finished not too long ago, she was surprised to find how much she was looking forward to making love to him again. She may not have had any experience before today, but she could tell that Zuko was an amazing lover, and she wondered just how good he would be in bed once he was fully recovered.
“Ah, Fire Lord Zuko, Lady Katara, there you are,” came Iroh’s voice, bringing Katara out of her thoughts.
The two of them paused and glanced down another hall to see the Dragon Of The West making his way over to them. He wasn’t alone though, he was accompanied by her father and a Fire Nation messenger. Katara instantly felt her face heat up under the former two’s gazes, feeling as if they would somehow be able to figure out what she and Zuko had done. Her gaze quickly darted to Zuko and she saw his cheeks darkening as well, as if he was having the same thoughts.
“Uncle, Chief Hakoda,” Zuko said in greeting, doing a remarkable good job of appearing composed.
“We were wondering where the two of you were,” the latter said. “You were gone for so long we were heading to the royal therapy room to check on you.”
Katara felt her cheeks heat further. “T-That’s my fault. After our healing session, we stayed in the sauna and hot spring and ended up staying in for too long.”
Her father’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, I can tell by how red your faces are,” he told them, clearly misinterpreting the real reason for their heated faces. “You should know better than to stay in for too long. Don’t you remember what happened to your brother the last time we all used the hot springs? Had we not been there, he could have drowned.”
Katara lowered her eyes. “Sorry, Dad.”
Iroh chuckled and clapped a hand on Hakoda’s shoulder. “Don’t be too harsh. It’s very easy to get lost in luxury while in a hot spring. Why, I once became so relaxed in one that I allowed myself to get captured.”
Zuko scowled at that. “Yeah, I remember that,” he grumbled irritably.
His uncle chuckled. “I might have myself a nice soak later.” He glanced at his companion. “Care to join me, Chief Hakoda?”
Katara’s father sighed. “A relaxing soak does sound good.” He cleared his throat. “But first, weren’t you looking for your nephew?”
Iroh blinked, but then glanced at the messenger. “Oh, of course! Fire Lord Zuko, this man says he had some news for you.”
Zuko sighed. “Uncle, please don’t call me ‘Fire Lord’; there’s no need to be so formal with me.”
Iroh just smiled, a playful glint in his eye. “Of course, your highness.”
Zuko rolled his eyes as Katara giggled, and he turned to the messenger. “What news do you have?”
The messenger bowed. “Yes, Fire Lord, I have good news. We’ve received word that upon freeing the prisoners of war that both Lady Mai and Lady Ty Lee were amongst them.”
The messenger’s words hit Katara like a punch in the gut, and her mouth dropped open in shock. And based on the surprised looks of both her father and Iroh, they had not been informed of this before they had brought the messenger here. And once she got over her shock, she instinctually looked at Zuko to see his reaction. His eyes were wide with surprise and he looked completely baffled.
“Mai is… alive?” he asked in disbelief.
The messenger smiled and nodded. “Indeed, my lord. A little worse for wear, but she and Lady Ty Lee still live.”
Zuko almost seemed to be spacing out as he appeared to be trying to digest this news. “I… I can’t believe Azula didn’t kill her. She betrayed her; I thought my sister would have killed her for sure.”
So did Katara. The bloodthirsty Fire Princess showed no issue in trying to murder her own family, so to find out that she spared one of her former friends after said friend had betrayed her was, well, unexpected to say the least. She would have thought that Azula would have burned her alive where she stood, even if it would have been for the sole purpose of hurting her brother. Quite frankly, they had all assumed that Zuko’s knife-wielding girlfriend was dead.
The messenger shook his head in response to Zuko’s comment. “It seems that she merely had them both imprisoned. The two of them are heading to their homes to recover from their ordeal, but they’ll return to the palace in due time.”
Iroh still had a look of surprise on his face, but then he seemed to get over his shock and beamed. “That’s… wonderful news. Is that not wonderful news, Fire Lord Zuko?”
At the question, Zuko seemed to get over his shock as well, and he gave his uncle a smile. “It is, Uncle. I’m very relieved she and Ty Lee are alright.”
An onslaught of emotions hit Katara. Of course she was glad that Mai was alive; how could she not be? But at the same time, she suddenly saw her future with Zuko shatter. He hadn’t left Mai because he had wanted to break up with her or didn’t want to be with her anymore. No, he’d left because he felt like he was doing the right thing by siding against his nation and didn’t want to drag her into what was quite literally treason. And after what had happened at the Boiling Rock, he had thought that she was dead, Ty Lee too.
But now that they had learned that she was still alive, and her having shown how much she loved him by betraying Azula for him, why wouldn’t he go back to her? They were in a relationship and loved each other, and with the war over, there was no longer anything to keep them apart.
What had happened between her and Zuko in the royal therapy room, what had been her coming on to him to ‘figure out her feelings’, as she had phrased it, had happened under the belief that Mai was dead. But the truth was, she and Zuko weren’t a couple. They hadn’t discussed a possible romance between them, nor did they have an actual relationship outside of friendship. Yes, there had been the unspoken promise of them becoming more than friends, but now that Mai was back in the picture, it seemed as if the possibility of that happening had just gone straight out the window.
It seemed as if she wasn’t the only one who thought so, as she heard her father sigh in resignation as he glanced at Iroh. “I guess that puts an end to what we discussed.”
Looking disappointed, the Dragon Of The West sighed as well. “Yes, I suppose it does; such a shame. As good as this news is, I think my plan would have been the best for everyone.”
At those words, Katara felt something akin to her heart shatter in her chest. She obviously knew what the two of them were referring to, but Zuko was clueless, and he gave the two men a questioning look. “What do you mean? What plan?”
Iroh just gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s of no concern, Nephew. Chief Hakoda and I were merely exchanging ideas. Do not worry about it. This is wonderful news after all; you must be so happy.”
Zuko nodded. “Yes, I am. I’m just… still trying to process this.” He rubbed his brow, still looking stunned. “Mai’s alive…”
Katara didn’t think she could take this anymore. As glad as she was to learn that Zuko’s girlfriend was still alive, the implications of what this meant felt like they were tearing her heart to shreds. She needed to get away from here, now, before she broke down in front of them.
Putting on her most forced smile, she reached up and grabbed Zuko’s sleeve. “That’s so great, Zuko. I’m so happy for you. I know how upset you were about her. Now you two can pick up where you left off.”
Zuko glanced at her, his eyes full of question and emotions. “Katara…”
She forced a wider smile, and it took all her willpower to let go of his sleeve. “I’ve got some things to take care of, so I’ll leave you and Iroh to catch up.” She glanced at the Dragon Of The West. “We didn’t get a chance to go over what we talked about at the meeting, so you should go over that with him.”
Iroh chuckled. “Enjoying the sauna and hot springs too much to worry about such boring issues, eh?”
Under different circumstances, Katara would have blushed at his words, but she was feeling too distraught right now to be embarrassed. “Something like that. So, if you can just go over that with him, it’d be great. I’ll see you all later.”
“Katara, wait,” Zuko exclaimed, reaching for her.
She moved out of range of his reaching hand, unable to bear being touched by him right now. “Sorry, but your Fire Lord duties call, and you know how important they are. You can’t hide away in your therapy room all day, no matter how injured you are. So I’ll see you later.”
With that, she walked off, not looking back, unable to look back without fear that she might break down. No one came after her, which she was grateful for as she felt tears creep up in her eyes. She managed to hold them back though until she had put some distance between herself and the others and found herself alone as she walked down another hall.
This wasn’t the first time she’d had her heart broken. Jet’s betrayal had hurt greatly as well, as had when Zuko had betrayed her Ba Singe Se, but this was something even worse than both those instances put together. She quite literally felt like her heart had been ripped out if her chest, as if there was a tight pressure on her chest where her heart should be, leaving her with a deep, dark, empty sinking feeling. The closest thing she could compare it too was when her mother had died. Was this how Sokka had felt when he lost Yue, or how Zuko had felt when he thought Mai had died?
She shook her head in disgust at herself for making such a comparison. She and Zuko had only just become lovers. They weren’t in a relationship, nor had there been any declarations or confirmations of love been made. Yet she dared to compare the actual loss of a loved one to the prospect of a romantic relationship ending before it even began? It felt utterly disgraceful. Yet at the same time, that happy, joyful future she had envisioned between them, the theoretical imaginary children she had conjured up in her mind, she now saw that future die, so there had been a loss in that sense, and she felt it.
What a stupid, foolish, impulsive girl she had been. She’d overheard her father and Iroh’s plans and had let her thoughts and emotions carry her away and act on her feelings rather than think rationally. Then she’d gone and acted on spontaneous whims, making impulsive decisions and assumptions and envisioning all these scenarios and having all these expectations. How utterly naïve she had been.
Had she really thought that just because she had slept with Zuko that they would live happily ever after? She’d wanted him and he’d wanted her, that much had been obvious, but two people becoming lovers didn’t mean that they would end up together. Hell, it didn’t even mean they loved each other. Logically, she’d known that, yet she had still allowed herself to indulge in this possible future fantasy, as if it were definite when the truth was, she still not only had more of her own feelings to work out, but had yet to find out Zuko’s true feelings for her as well.
He did at least have some feelings for her, she knew that much, and would have likely been at least open him to the thought of them becoming a couple in the future. He was also attracted to her and wanted her for sure, that much was obvious. However, she wasn’t foolish enough to think that a possible ‘what if’ scenario would take precedence over the actual loving relationship he currently had with Mai. Even her father and Iroh had recognized that and dropped their plans of having the two of them get engaged, despite how beneficial it would have been for everyone.
She shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions or considered what she had heard as an absolute. Why had she already decided to accept an engagement she wasn’t even supposed to know about and start envisioning and planning future events that might not ever come to pass when she hadn’t even spoken to Zuko about them becoming something more than friends, let alone act as if things had already been decided. That was on her; she shouldn’t have gotten so ahead of herself. Because now with Mai back in the picture, she saw that future shatter to pieces.
Why did she have to eavesdrop? Why did she have to act so compulsively in the sauna? Why couldn’t that stupid message have arrived a few… hours earlier to deliver the news that Mai was alive? Then she might not be going through this heartbreak right now. Then she wouldn’t have to feel this loss of what could have been.
But then she also never would have gotten to experience what it would feel like to be Zuko’s lover. And, much to her surprise, as much as she was hurting right now, she was shocked to discover that she didn’t regret having that experience. Not just for the physical pleasure of it, but for the meaningful experience as well. For as she had acknowledged earlier, there had always been this chemistry and sexual tension between her and Zuko.
Maybe it was better to know what they could be, even if it was taken away, rather than to always wonder what could have been. What was the phrase again? ‘Better to have love and loss than to never have loved at all’. Or something like that.
She would get through this, she decided. It hurt, but she had felt pain before and gotten out stronger. She may still want Zuko, both his body and his heart, but as she had been reminded, real life wasn’t some fantasy world where everything worked out. She would move past this and embrace the future, whatever it entailed. It might be painful, but she’d survived much worse than some heartbreak.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t take some time to nurse her broken heart, or lament for her hypothetical future with Zuko. And so she made her way out onto one of the many balconies overlooking the city, grasped the side of it, and let the tears flow.
She allowed herself to silently cry for a while, and eventually, her tears stopped. Even so, she stayed where she was, the view of the city offering her a sense of calm that served to distract her from her pain. She wasn’t sure how long she stood there for, maybe an hour or two, but she was eventually distracted by a loud whooshing sound behind her that was soon followed by a rush of wind.
“Katara, there you are!” Aang said cheerfully, twirling around his glider he had flown in on. “I’ve been looking for you forever.”
Katara sniffled, trying to be discreet about it. She may have stopped crying some time ago, but she hoped her eyes weren’t red as she put on a forced smile and turned to him. “I’m here, just enjoying the view.” She glanced over her shoulder off the balcony again. “It’s rather peaceful.”
Aang returned the smile with a more sincere one as he walked up to her, also giving the view off the balcony an admiring glance. “Yeah, it’s a pretty nice view. You should see it from the air though.” He stood beside her for a short while before his smile disappeared and he became somewhat nervous. “So… Katara, I was hoping we could have that talk now.”
She blinked, and then her eyes widened as she remembered that he had asked to speak to her, but then she had gotten… distracted, for lack of a netter word. “Oh, right, you wanted to talk about something. I’m sorry, Aang, I… forgot.”
He just gave her a smile. “That’s ok, I know Zuko needed you.” He cocked his head to the side questioningly. “But you’re free to talk now, right?”
Pushing her own problems aside, she nodded; she could use a good distraction right now. “Yes, of course. What did you want to talk about?”
That nervous look appeared on his face again, and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his bald head. “W-Well, I was hoping we could talk about… well, you know… us.”
She blinked again, not understanding his question at first. “Us?” But then it clicked, and her eyes widened. “Oh, us.”
“Y-Yeah,” he muttered, still rubbing his head. “Katara… I really love you, and I… I want to be with you. I know back at the Ember Island play, you said that you were confused and didn’t know how you felt, and that with the war going on that it wasn’t the right time and that you didn’t want to worry about that right now.”
His brows suddenly rose, as if he just realized something, and he guiltily averted his eyes. “By the way, I’m sorry for kissing you like that, especially after what you had just told me. That was disrespectful and inconsiderate of me, and I’m really sorry; I shouldn’t have done that.” He looked back at her. “But… the war’s been over for a couple weeks now, so… I was wondering if now was a good time to talk about us. I mean, I know we’ve been busy with all these negotiations and peace talks, but, well, I was just hoping that… maybe you’ve had time to think about it?”
A feeling of discomfort coiled in Katara’s gut. Was this really happening now of all times, after what had just happened with Zuko not too long ago? Was the universe really that cruel? Were the spirits having some kind of laugh at her expense? If so, it wasn’t funny.
What did she say? That now wasn’t a good time because she was nursing a broken heart after having just given her virginity to Zuko and thinking that they were going to get married, only to suddenly learn that his girlfriend, who they had all thought was dead, was actually still alive? Yeah, that would go over well. No, she needed to come up with some excuse to put off having this talk.
But then that thought gave her pause. Perhaps… perhaps she shouldn’t put this off. She’d heard before that sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, the best way to heal a broken heart was to find a new love. Would starting, or attempting to start, a new romance be the best way to deal with the feelings she had for Zuko?
She immediately mentally scolded herself. What was she thinking, considering using anyone to help her get over her feelings for someone else? Not only was that inconsiderate, but she didn’t use people like that, and Aang deserved better than to be some kind of distraction or rebound. If she was going to start a new romance with anyone, then it should be because she was ready and wanted to move on, not get over someone else.
But then again, when would that be? Weeks from now? Months? Years? Could she possibly spend the rest of her life lamenting her lost future with Zuko? And poor Aang had been waiting for so long for an answer to his feelings. She may not appreciate how he was and had been pressuring her for an answer, but she could understand his impatience. It had to be nerve-wracking having the answer to your feelings remain unknown. And with how uncertain everything had been with the war, no wonder he was so anxious to get an answer. Hadn’t she left him waiting long enough?
Would it really be so wrong? Knowing Aang, he might not even mind being some kind of rebound. Not that she ever intended to tell him that, or anyone, what had transpired between her and Zuko; that was a private memory just for the two of them. But regardless of that, Aang wanted to be with her, and as long as she was sincere in wanting to be with him, would it actually be a bad thing if he technically was some kind of rebound and their relationship helped heal her heart? He would get what he wanted while possibly helping her to move on from Zuko.
But then that posed the question, did she want to be with Aang? Truthfully, she still didn’t know. If she was honest with herself, for most of the time she had known him, she hadn’t seen him as a potential love interest and had viewed him as a little brother figure. Yes, she had suggested kissing in the Cave Of Two Lovers, but that had been to get out of the tunnels. And yes, after seeing him stop that volcano, Sokka’s comment of how he was a powerful Bender did remind her of Aunt Wu’s prediction of how she would marry a powerful Bender. But still, she hadn’t actually considered him as a possibility.
Well, not until he had suddenly kissed her at the invasion, making it abundantly clear how he felt about her. That had conflicted with the little brother figure she had viewed him as up to that point, which had been why she had been so uncomfortable with that kiss, knowing that their relationship wouldn’t be the same after that. And then there had just been so much going on with the war and how much more serious everything had become that she had too much going on to worry about the status of their relationship.
And then later with Zuko joining them, she’d had so many conflicting feelings regarding him, both before and after he had helped her face down her mother’s killer. And after the war was concluded, they’d been so busy with diplomatic decisions that she hadn’t even thought about their relationship or what her feelings for him were.
And what were they? Well, she still didn’t know. She couldn’t exactly say she was attracted to him, not the way she was attracted to Zuko or Jet or even Haru, but he was cute. That was partly due to the fact that he was still pretty young, and for all she knew, he could grow into a very handsome man when he got older; he had made her blush during their dance together at the party they had hosted for the kids of the Fire Nation.
But attraction and romantic interest aside, she did find him to be sweet and endearing, and she did care about him, and even love him, albeit not necessarily in a romantic way. But that could change. Platonic love could become romantic love if given the chance. People fell for their friends, even ones that they had never looked at in a romantic light before.
Maybe that could be the case for her and Aang. Maybe if she gave him a chance, he could be just what she needed. Perhaps the answer to her love life had been right in front of her all along and she simply hadn’t noticed it. She would never know if she didn’t give him a chance. If she turned him down, she could very well be giving up something that had the potential to be great.
Plus, after everything Aang had been through and all he had done for the world, didn’t he deserve to have her give him a chance? It might be unorthodox to start a relationship right now after what had just happened with Zuko, but maybe it was what she needed. Aang would get to have his chance with her, and she could learn something about herself and possibly find happiness with him as she got over Zuko.
It sounded like a win-win scenario in her head, even if the circumstances weren’t the best. But as long as she wasn’t planning to string him along, and she wasn’t planning to, then what was the harm? If she was going to give a romantic relationship with Aang a chance, then she was going to do it sincerely. Besides, if she decided to wait until she was over Zuko before giving Aang a chance, who knew how long that could be. For all she knew, at that point, Aang might even move on from her, and then she might miss out on what could be another great love.
She must have been silent for a long time, as Aang gave her a hopeful yet inquiring look. “Have you?” he asked carefully. “Thought about it?”
Sighing, she pushed aside any apprehensions she was feeling about this being too soon after Zuko. Focusing on the good that could come out of this, she gave Aang her most sincere smile. “Aang, the truth is, there’s been so much going on that I haven’t really had the time to think about it, and, honestly, I’m still not sure what my feelings for you are. I do love you, Aang, but I’m not sure if it’s the kind of love you have for me or want from me.”
She watched as his face fell, likely thinking she was rejecting him. So she gave him a reassuring smile and reached out to take his hand. “But… that doesn’t mean it can’t be someday. And I think it’s worth trying to find out.”
His eyes widened as the disappointed look on his face became one of hope. “So then… you’re saying that…”
Her smile widened and she gave his hand a squeeze. “I’m saying yes, Aang. Let’s give this a try and see what happens.”
It was rather adorable the way his face lit up with joy as he pulled his hand from her and punched the air. “Oh, yeah!” he cried, launching himself a good ten feet in the air.
Katara’s smile became one of amusement. She was always happy to see Aang so happy. After having lost so much, made so many sacrifices, done so much for the world, he deserved to be happy, and she swore then and there that she would do whatever it took to make sure the rest of his life was one of happiness and fulfillment.
He slowly descended from his Airbending leap, and the moment his feet touched the ground, he threw his arms around her, hugging her tight. “Katara, you’ve made me so happy! I promise, I’ll be the best boyfriend ever.”
She had been caught off guard by his sudden embrace, but once she got over her surprise, she hugged him back. “Yes, Aang, I’m sure you will be.”
They held each other for a few more seconds before pulling apart. Then Aang surprised her once again by suddenly kissing her. Katara’s eyes widened at the sudden intimate gesture, but then she let her eyes close and kissed him back. Actually kissed him back this time, not merely reacted like when he had kissed her on the Day Of Black Sun. It felt in rather poor taste to be kissing him like his after her heated love session with Zuko an hour or so ago, but she pushed that feeling aside and tried to focus on Aang.
Though the gesture was the same, Aang’s kiss felt significantly different from Zuko’s, and elicited a different reaction from her. Zuko’s kisses had been passionate, heated, all-consuming, making her knees go weak and her toes curl, stealing her breathe and sending her heart racing. Aang’s kiss was gentle, sweet, comforting, making her feel safe and at peace, providing her with a sense of contentment. So while it was different, it was still special and pleasant in its own way.
They broke apart, and Aang beamed at her, looking happier than she had ever remembered seeing him, and she shyly averted her eyes, still feeling awkward at how this had all played out. But then Aang suddenly grabbed her hand, giving it a tug.
“Come on, let’s go tell the others!” he said excitedly.
Katara blinked at this. “Wait, you mean right now?”
“Of course! I can’t wait to tell the whole world that you’re mine!”
He took off after that with a rush of wind, pulling her along. Katara stumbled after him, trying not to lose her footing. “Aang, wait. This is all happening so fast. I don’t know if now is the right time to tell everyone.”
“Nah, it’ll be fine!” he insisted. “I’m sure they’ll be happy for us!”
Yes, Katara was sure that most of their friends would be, but how was Zuko going to react to the news? True, he now had Mai back, or he would once she returned, but how was it going to look to him when Aang announced that the two of them were now couple less than two hours after she and Zuko had had sex? What would he think of her? How would he feel about this sudden development?
She would have to think of something to say to him. But she knew that no matter what she came up with, the best-case scenario would be how awkward things were going to become between them. And while she still didn’t regret what had transpired between them, she once again acknowledged that it would have been a lot more convenient if news of Mai’s survival had reached them sooner. Or if she had never eavesdropped in the first place.
She was still trying to come up with something to say to Zuko the next time they were inevitably alone together when she and Aang turned down a hall and they came across the very group they were looking for. It seemed that her father, Iroh, and Zuko had met up with Sokka, Toph, and Suki at some point in the last hour or so, as they were all together. Katara could already feel the awkwardness setting in.
Aang skidded to a stop, the Airbending he was using to speed them along sending a gust of wind at their friends, and Toph held up a hand against it. “Whoa, ease up there, Twinkle-Toes. What’s the rush?”
Aang’s grip on Katara’s hand tightened possessively. “Sorry, I’m just excited. I’ve got some great news!”
Sokka smiled. “Great, we got some good news too. Turns out Zuko’s girlfriend is still alive. You know, the gloomy knife girl, Mei.”
“Mai,” Zuko corrected.
“Yeah, her. Turns out his psycho sister didn’t kill her after all.”
If possible, Aang’s smile grew even wider. “That is good news. Zuko, you must be so relieved.”
The Fire Lord seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if he were choosing his words carefully. He briefly glanced at Katara, but she didn’t meet his gaze. “Yes, of course I’m glad that she’s still alive.”
Toph rolled her eyes. “Sheesh, Sparky, show some more enthusiasm.”
Suki chuckled. “He’s still just trying to come to terms with the fact that she’s still alive after thinking she was dead all this time.” She looked back at Aang. “So, what’s your news?”
Aang gave Katara’s hand a tug, pulling her forward to stand next to him, and then wrapped an arm around her. “Well, Katara just agreed to be my girlfriend!”
At his declaration, surprised looks crossed the faces of everyone else. Katara’s eyes, however, sought out Zuko’s as she finally allowed herself to look at him. He looked surprised too, even more so than the others, and she could understand why. But then she saw his surprise give way to a series of other emotions. She saw confusion, and even hurt, flash across his face, and also another emotion she couldn’t quite identify. And was that a hint of jealousy?
She looked away from him as she felt her face start to heat up. She supposed every emotion she saw on his face was justified, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that with their friends present, and so she turned her attention to the others. Once again, just like when they had received word that Mai was still alive, Iroh seemed to get over his surprise first and smiled broadly.
“That’s wonderful!” he declared, holding his arms out to them. “Such a happy occasion. We can celebrate the start of new love,” he motioned to her and Aang, then to Zuko, “and the resuming of an old one.”
“Yes,” Hakoda agreed, now wearing a smile that was blatantly forced as he seemed to develop a twitch in his eye, “my little girl has her first boyfriend. How wonderful.”
Katara resisted the urge to groan at her father’s irritated tone. That was just what she needed right now on top of everything else, her father becoming overprotective of her and making things even more awkward. She supposed he hadn’t reacted like this during his talk with Iroh about engaging her and Zuko because they had been planning to wait until later before suggesting that to them.
“First and last boyfriend,” Aang declared with the utmost certainty as he pulled Katara even closer. “I knew Katara and I were meant to be all along. This is the start of our happily ever after.”
Suki smiled. “Well, I’m happy for you too.” Then she teasingly nudged Toph. “Now we just need to get a boyfriend for Toph and all our love lives will be fulfilled.”
The blind Earthbender held up her hands. “No thank you. I’m not looking for an actual relationship right now.” But then a mischievous smile crossed her face. “Buuuut I wouldn’t be against a casual hook-up. Think I’ll go see if Haru is interested.” She then began walking off, waving a hand over her shoulder. “Congrats to the new couple.”
“Yes, congrats,” Sokka practically growled, also looking irritated, but doing a worse job of hiding it than their father, and he began making his way over to them. “I’m so glad to hear that you’ll be dating my baby sister and doing gross things with her.”
Aang seemed to detect that something was off as Sokka approached and let his arm drop from Katara as he gave him an uncertain look. “Um, Sokka, is everything alright?”
Then it was Sokka who was throwing an arm around Aang’s shoulders and pulling him in close, though it seemed to be more of a headlock rather than a gesture of affection. “Oh, I’m great, Aang,” he said through clenched teeth behind a false grin. “I’m thrilled at the thought that you’ll be doing things with my little sister like holding hands and hugging and kissing.” He pulled Aang in even tighter, to the point where it looked like the Airbender might be having trouble breathing. “Speaking of which, as someone with a girlfriend myself, I have some very valuable advice that I think I should talk to you about.”
Hakoda came up to them as well, still wearing his own forced smile and his eye still twitching. “Yes, there are some things I would like to discuss with you as well, Avatar, since you will be dating my daughter.”
Iroh chuckled as he walked over. “I could offer some advice as well. I do consider myself a bit of an expert on love.”
He, at least, seemed genuinely happy about this news, while Sokka and Hakoda still were trying to hide their irritation behind fake smiles, and Sokka gave Aang a slight pull forward down then hall. “Why don’t we go have a little chat, Aang old buddy.”
“Yes,” Hakoda agreed, “we have much to talk about.”
“I think I shall accompany you,” Iroh added cheerfully. “I could offer some lessons on love.”
While it didn’t seem like he had anything to worry about from Iroh, Aang seemed to pick up that he was in some kind of trouble with his new girlfriend’s father and brother. Looking distressed, Aang reluctantly let the two men lead him down the hall in the opposite direction Toph had headed in as Iroh cheerfully followed behind them, looking amused.
Suki just sighed and glanced at Katara. “Men,” she grumbled, then hurried after the others. “Sokka, babe, go easy on him. Remember, you’re supposed to be friends.”
With their departure, this now left Katara and Zuko standing along together in the middle of the hall. Katara couldn’t so much as bring herself to look at him as she was overcome with awkwardness and embarrassment. She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest and her cheeks filling with heat, and she willed the latter away, to no avail.
She could feel Zuko’s questioning gaze on her, studying her in bewilderment, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She had to get away, before the situation became even more awkward. She still hadn’t come up with anything to say to him. What did you say to the person you gave your virginity to, only to announce that you were now in a relationship with someone else just a couple hours later? Maybe this was one of the reasons her people were so reserved when it came to sex, to avoid these uncomfortable situations.
Knowing that it would be apparent that she was running away, she turned to do just that. She hadn’t taken more than five steps though before she felt Zuko grab her arm. “Katara, wait.”
She paused. So she wasn’t going to be allowed to retreat after all. She should have figured. The urge to sigh came over her, but she held it back as she forced herself to turn to him. “Yes, Zuko?”
His mouth opened slightly, but then closed it, as if he wasn’t sure what to say himself. Eventually though, he found his voice. “I just… This is… I don’t…” He shook his head. “I guess I’m just confused. I mean… we just… What is going on?”
Yes, she could tell he was confused; he looked it too. He also looked… rather hurt. She couldn’t exactly blame him. But what did he expect now that he had Mai back? She wasn’t going to be some side piece, and she knew Zuko wasn’t the type of person to cheat on his partner. So that only left them to go back to being just friends. In which case, what was to stop her from getting involved with someone else, and why shouldn’t she give things with Aang a chance? He deserved it after everything he did, not to mention after how long he had been pining for her.
Turning to face him fully, she did her best to maintain her composure. “What’s not to understand? It’s just as Aang said. We’re together ow. He asked me to be his girlfriend and I agreed.” She averted her eyes. “He’s been in love with me for a while now.”
She glanced back at him and saw his brow furrow. “Ok, yes, but… what about us? After we… You said we would talk later.”
Yes, she had said that. The plan had been to discuss their relationship and the possibility of it becoming romantic. And then Aang had gone and announced that they were a couple before she could talk with him. And with Zuko now having Mai back, that intended conversation now seemed pointless.
But how to make that clear? She could only imagine what he thought about her, what with sleeping with him only to turn around and get together with Aang. Oh, La, he must think of her as some kind of floozy.
“Zuko, I…” she began, trying to find the right words to resolve this in the easiest way. “I was… confused. I said that I was trying to figure some things out, remember?”
He frowned, but nodded. “I remember. But I thought you wanted to talk about it.”
Closing her eyes briefly, she nodded. “I did, but now I don’t think we need to. I have my answer.”
He gave her an uncertain look, and she could see some anger and hurt in his gaze. “Your answer?”
She finally let out the sigh she had been holding. “There have always been some intense feelings between us, Zuko, from the very beginning. What happened between us…” her cheeks colored, “back in the sauna, like I said, that was me trying to figure them out. And I admit, I got a little… carried away.”
He released her arm he had still been holding. “Carried away?”
“I was confused,” she insisted. “I was working through a lot of my feelings about everything. And yes, I got carried away. But I’ve had some time to think since then. After we found out that Mai was still alive, and then Aang came to me asking for a chance, so I had to think about my feelings for him and what it was I really wanted.”
Her words were vague, deliberately so, but she saw Zuko reach his own conclusion to what she was saying. The hurt she now saw in his eyes was apparent, but she let him think that way. It would be better to let him think she had chosen Aang over him, even if that wasn’t the case. It would put an end to this whole thing before it began, free him of any obligations or conflicting feelings he might feel towards her so he could be with Mai without feeling guilty.
But still, it hurt her to say it, and she could see that it hurt him to hear it. She saw him clench his fists and his face harden. “So, this is what you want then?”
The way he said that almost broke her resolve, and she had to fight the urge to throw herself at him and kiss him senseless while declaring that he was what she wanted, that she wanted him to leave Mai and be with her. But she had more dignity than that, and so she held herself in check for both their sakes, and instead reached out and touched his arm reassuringly.
“I’m sorry, Zuko. Things got out of hand between us, but this is for the best. I have Aang and you have Mai. It would be better for everyone if we just… forget about what happened between us.”
She almost choked on her own words. They had been so hard to say that she was surprised she managed to say them without her voice cracking. She could also see that her words were also hard for Zuko to hear, as if they had a physical impact on him. He seemed to start to take a step back, but then caught himself. At his sides, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, as if he were trying stop himself from reaching for her. It was apparent that he was trying to keep his expression neutral, but Katara could still see a number of emotions reflecting in his eyes, the two most prominent ones seeming to be anger and hurt, and the sight of it tore at her heart.
But then Zuko seemed to regain his composure. Taking a deep breath, and puffing out his chest as he stood as straight as possible in a blatant attempt to put up a front to hide what he was really feeling, he gave her a nod. “If that is what you want, Katara, then I’ll respect your decision. We’ll just pretend that what happened between us never happened.”
No, she wanted to scream, that wasn’t what she wanted. But there was no other choice. If she let the situation fall into some kind of love triangle, no, a love square actually, then they would all end up getting hurt. So she steeled her resolve as she planned to put an end to this whole ordeal once and for all, but she still couldn’t stop herself from glancing away. “Yes, that would be for the best.”
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Her breath caught in her throat as, for the briefest moment, she caught a look of the most profound heartbreak and the deepest longing cross his face before his mask fell back in place.
“As you wish,” he said, and began backing away. “Congratulations on your new relationship. I sincerely wish you and Aang all the best.”
For some reason, hearing him say that last part nearly destroyed her. And as he turned and began to walk away, she nearly ran after him, but managed to catch herself after she took a step in his direction, her hand reaching for him. She pulled it back though and turned away. Blinking back tears, she took a deep breath before she began heading in the opposite direction. She had to put some distance between them before her resolve failed. Everything had happened too fast, it would get better once the events of today had fully sunk in and been worked through.
This was for the best, she told herself. She had Aang and Zuko had Mai. They each had a partner who deeply loved them. And while her feelings for Aang were still up in the air and she wasn’t fully aware of what Zuko’s feelings for her were, this was the logical path that made the most sense. She knew he and Mai loved each other, and that Aang loved her and perhaps she could come to love him the way he wanted and deserved in time now that she was giving things with him a chance.
As for her own feelings for Zuko, well, she’d faced heartbreak before, she could face it again. Instead of dwelling on losing Zuko, when she technically never had him in the first place, she would focus on her new relationship with Aang. Better to look to the future than hang on to the past, or however the saying went. And who knew, in time, she could come to love Aang even more than she loved Zuko.
That thought gave her pause. Did she love Zuko? She still hadn’t worked that out before news of Mai had reached them. She definitely had feelings for him, she knew that, and she was highly attracted to him and could certainly say this was the biggest crush she ever had, but to actually label these feelings as actual love? She hadn’t had time to dissect things to that extent before the news that Mai was alive had put a stopper on any romantic relationship that may have developed between them, so figuring out her feelings for him had become pointless, so she wasn’t going to bother, as it would only cause her more heartbreak.
On her end, she could at least say for certain that her feelings would definitely have become love if they had given a relationship a try. And she couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened with Zuko had they actually had that talk if news of Mai’s survival had never come, or had at least had come after their talk.
This thought had her gasping as a new possibility suddenly occurred to her. She had been so focused on her feelings that she had made a lot of assumptions when it came to Zuko’s. When they had been informed that Mai was still alive, she had just assumed that the two of them would get back together.
It had just seemed like the logical conclusion to her. He hadn’t broken up with her because he had wanted to, and she had still loved him enough to sacrifice herself for him even after the breakup. So why wouldn’t she think that they would get back together now that the obstacles that had separated them were resolved?
But things were different now, she realized. A lot had changed since Zuko had joined their group. He had changed a lot. And things between the two of them had changed a lot as well. Those changes could have affected his feelings for Mai. How had she not considered any of that?
What if he didn’t want to be with Mai anymore? Or what if he chose to be with her over Mai? His ex-girlfriend having sacrificed herself out of love for him had no relation to Zuko’s own feelings. But she, in her foolishness and rashness, had jumped to conclusions without discussing anything with Zuko or hearing him out, essentially making the decision for both of them without having all the facts. And then she had gone and decided to give Aang the chance he had been asking for on top of that.
By the gods, how could she have been so foolish? For all she knew, Zuko could have told her that he wanted to be with her instead of Mai, that he loved her, not Mai, or that he loved her more than Mai. Then they could be together right now, and she could have let Aang down gently.
But it was too late now. Bad enough she had gotten together with Aang after just having slept with Zuko, she couldn’t possibly backtrack now, not after having accepted Aang, not after what she had just said to Zuko. People’s hearts weren’t things to be played with and trampled on. She had made several decisions today in haste, and now she was going to have to deal with the consequences of those decisions and live with them. But why did hindsight have to be so cruel?
“Well, that was certainly interesting.”
Katara froze at the voice and glanced off to the side to find Toph leaning against one of the pillars. Katara’s heart began racing in her chest as she immediately began to wonder how much the blind Earthbender had had overheard.
“T-Toph,” she stammered. “I thought you went to find Haru.”
She felt herself blush as she recalled why Toph said she was going to seek out her fellow Earthbender. The Blind Bandit just smirked though and glanced sightlessly in Katara’s direction. “Oh, I intend to. But your and Sparky’s hearts were beating so erratically when Aang announced your new relationship that I thought I’d hang around a little longer to see what that was about. I must admit, I was expecting something juicy, but not that juicy.”
Katara’s face colored. “How… How much did you overhear?”
A smirk crossed Toph’s face. “Oh, only all of it. And it was enough to figure out what exactly went down between you two. You were both missing for a long time. It also explains why I was detecting why you’re walking a little funny.”
Her face was now beet red, and Katara felt on the verge of dying from embarrassment. “That’s… I… Listen, Toph, I can explain.”
But Toph just pushed off the pillar and held up her hands. “Hey, you don’t need to explain yourself to me, Sugar Queen. What you do is your business; it’s not like I’m going to go around telling people. What goes on between you and Sparky is between you guys. If you want to practice baby making with the Fire Lord, then go right ahead and bump uglies all you want; I’m not judging. Honestly though, I expected the two of you to hook up much sooner.”
Katara’s eyes widened. “You… You did?”
Toph rolled her eyes. “I may be blind, but even I could see how much you guys had the hots for each other.”
Katara was really glad Toph was blind right now so she couldn’t see how red she knew her face was. But then again, with Toph’s hearing and ability to detect even the smallest of vibrations, she could probably figure it out from her heartbeat. But what did it say that even a blind person had been able to pick up on the chemistry between her and Zuko? Or had it been Toph picking up on their heartbeats that had given it away?
But then the blind Earthbender suddenly frowned. Crossing her arms, she stepped forward as she approached Katara. “What I am concerned with though is your decision in all this.”
Now it was Katara’s turn to frown. “What do you mean?”
Toph sighed. “Really, Sugar Queen, you’re going to play that game?” She shook her head. “Fine then, if that’s how you want to cope, we’ll play that game. I’m asking if you’re really ok starting a relationship with Twinkle-Toes while you’re so hung up on Zuko. And don’t deny it,” she quickly added when Katara opened her mouth to respond, “my feet never lie.”
Katara closed her mouth, swallowing her denial. Toph was right, thanks to her lie detecting skills via Earthbending, Toph would be able to tell if she was lying, even if she lied to herself. So instead, she went with, “It’s possible to have feelings for two people at once.”
Toph cocked her head to the side. “Touché, Sugar Queen. But do you really love Aang?”
“Of course I love Aang!”
A frustrated sigh escaped Toph as she rolled her eyes. “That’s not want I mean, and you know it. I know you love him, but I don’t mean as a friend. I’m talking about wanting to get down and dirty with him and wanting to pop out his babies like you do with Sparky.”
Katara blushed to the roots of her hair at the Earthbender’s phrasing. “T-Toph!”
She just shrugged. “You’re the one who wanted to play the game that required me to spell things out for you. So, are you going to answer my question, or are you going to try and dodge it?”
Katara held back the urge to growl in frustration, knowing that Toph would pick up on any lie she told. “It doesn’t matter what my feelings for Zuko are since he already has Mai.”
Toph nodded nonchalantly. “Ok, dodge the question it is.”
“I didn’t dodge the question.”
“Well, you certainly didn’t answer it either.”
Katara supposed she had her there, and she let out a sigh. “The point is, it doesn’t matter what my feelings for Zuko are, he’s taken, and I’m not going to get between him and Mai.”
Toph’s features seemed to soften at that. “While that’s admirable, it doesn’t say anything about your feelings for Aang.”
Yes, Katara supposed that was true, and she looked away. “Aang’s a great guy, and he’s been in love with me for a while. I feel like I owe it to him to at least give him a chance. Even if I don’t love him the way he wants me to right now, in time, I think I could learn to love him that way.”
Toph wobbled her head. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. But it kind of feels like you’re settling. Just because Zuko has Mai doesn’t mean you have to be with Aang.” She then gave Katara a look of sincere concern. “I just want to see my friends happy.”
“But I am happy,” Katara insisted. “Look, I won’t lie. Yes, I’m upset that things won’t work out with me and Zuko, but Aang makes me happy too, even if it’s in a different way. I’m sure I can be happy with him.”
Toph nodded. “Yes, I’m sure the two of you could build a happy, content life together. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be happier and more fulfilled with Zuko. I can understand you not wanting to get between him and his girlfriend, but did you ever consider that you might be better for him, that you would both be a better match for each other? Both of you have come a long way. For all you know, he and Gloomy Knife Girl could break up in the future, and if you close the door on a relationship with him now or get together with Twinkle-Toes while you still have feelings for Sparky, you could be missing out on what you could have with him.” She gave Katara a pointed look. “You could very well be passing right over your soul mate and missing out on true love. Did you ever think about that?”
Of course Katara had thought about that. Those had quite literally been her thoughts before Toph had decided to announce her presence and share her own thoughts. But as she had concluded, she had considered those things a little too late. Life was a result of the choices you made and the hand life dealt you, and all you could do was make the best of it, and that’s what she had decided to do, to be happy with Aang.
What was her other option? To turn down what she could have with Aang in the hopes that Zuko and Mai might break up one day and that he might want to get together with her? No, that wasn’t an option. Which is why she had made the decision she had, and she didn’t need Toph getting in the way and making her doubt herself.
But before she could voice any of this, Toph shrugged. “But, hey, what do I know? I’m no fortuneteller or love guru. Maybe Twinkle-Toes is your destined one and you’ll find your happily ever after with him in time just like you said. I’m just throwing my thoughts out there. In the end, it’s none of my business. You make your own decisions about your love life; I’m sure you know what’s best for yourself. I’ll catch you later, Sugar Queen.”
And with that, she walked off, as if she hadn’t just inserted herself into a rather personal matter in Katara’s life. But it was as she had said, it wasn’t any of her business, and Katara’s love life was her own. It hurt now, but she’d made the right decision, she was sure of it. If she couldn’t have a future with Zuko, then she would see if she could build something with Aang, and maybe something wonderful could come of it.
Yes, this was surely the best course of action. She trusted that in time, her feelings for Zuko would fade, and being with Aang romantically would allow her feelings for him to grow. She would be happy, Aang would be happy, Zuko would be happy, and Mai would be happy. Everyone would be happy. Yes, this was the right course of action. She could make this work. She would make this work. She had to. It’s what was best for everyone.
It still hurt though. Even though she never truly had him, losing Zuko still hurt, as did losing what they could have had together. But she would get through it. Being with Aang would help, and she would do her best to be a good girlfriend for him while keeping her time with Zuko to herself. And even though she couldn’t be with him, she still didn’t regret what had happened between. At least she had gotten a taste of what could have been.

THE END

(A/N: Oof, I think this may have been the toughest of my Zutara endings I had to write. A taste of what could have been for sure. Yes, I'm sure you've noticed a bit of a trend in my Zutara lemon stories if you've been following them where despite what happens between them, they don't end up together. There are a couple reasons for that. First, I always try to keep my stories as canon as possible, as if they could really fit in with the series. Second, it allows, if I and my readers so choose, to head-canon that these events actually took place in the actual series behind the scenes. And third, it's just the direction my plot bunnies take the story in, and I'm helplessly just along for the ride. So, yeah, I like to imagine that Zutara moments took place behind the scenes more than what we saw. In fact, when I first saw the series' finally, I legit thought they Katara and Zuko were going to kiss after they defeated Azula, and I wasn't even in support of Zutara back then. Even so, it just felt that something was left up in the air between them between Azula's defeat and the time jump end. Speaking of which, don't look down on Katara's actions towards the end in regards to her decision. She had a lot going on and a lot being thrown at her and was left confused and feeling a lot of different emotions throughout this story, so she wasn't exactly in the right state of mind to make the best decisions, and by the time she realized certain things, she felt stuck and unable to go back. We don't always make the best decisions when emotionally distraught, and she tried to make the decisions she felt were right, or at least best for everyone. Regardless, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. But I think I'm going to take a break from doing lemon stories for a little while. Don't worry, I have more in mind, and yes, a good number of them are Zutara ones; they seem to be the ones I write the best. Can't exactly say when I'll get around to them, that mostly depends on how fast I can get through the stories I want to do first. But let me know what you thought about this one and I'll see you next time.)
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A Taste Of What Could Have Been