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Smile Because It Happened	By : theamberdragonfly Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 7697 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter 19

Katara pushed Zuko away with only a modicum of force. Hurt golden eyes stared down at her, semi-glowing in the darkness. “Why?” he whispered.

“I can’t betray Aang,” she replied sadly, taking a deep and hopefully calming breath. “Until I have his verbal acceptance of you and me, we can’t do this.”

Zuko dropped his hands and turned away, his face hidden in shadow. “So you still choose him over me?” he mumbled, so softly she had to strain to hear him over the pounding of her heart.

“I… I’m sorry,” she said, her voice as soft as his but resolute in her tone. “But how could you love me if I were the type of woman who would betray a vow so easily? Even one so unhappily given?”

He sighed and shook his head. Trust his Waterbender to remind him about honor. “I get it,” he said, slightly louder than before. “I won’t push this.” He turned back to her, a naughty little smirk on his lips that sent a shiver of something through her body. “But I will be pushing Aang to release you.”

He bowed to her, but instead of the traditional Fire Nation salute, he placed his left hand over his heart as he inclined his head toward her, made even more tantalizing because his tunic was still open and she could see the smooth expanse of chest and torso underneath- not to mention the scar on his abdomen, which was a painful reminder of his devotion to protect her. Instead of swooning as she imagined she should’ve, she regarded him curiously. “What kind of salute is that?”

His eyes sparkled as he opened her cabin door to leave. “A special formal one,” he replied as he exited the room, “used only between the Fire Lord… and Fire Lady.” He smiled wickedly as he closed the door behind him.

As she stared at the steel door, a giggle threatened to overwhelm her and escape. Was that a proposal?

If it was, it was a LOT more seductive than Aang’s.

But neither has ASKED me to marry him. They both just ASSUME.

Zuko DID ask. He asked you if you loved him. And you do.

Yes. Very much so.

Then quit finding fault in everything.

Her internal debate finished, she gave into the giggles and collapsed on the bed, completely thrilled with the knowledge that the man she loved felt the same towards her- and respected her enough to not push her even though he clearly wanted her as badly as she wanted him.

.o(O)o.

Well, THIS is an interesting turn of events, Toph thought to herself as Aang’s lips pressed fervently against hers. As much as she inwardly rejoiced in his kiss, her heart ached with the knowledge that he was probably thinking about Sweetness… and not her. Her hands came up and touched his chest, intent on pushing him away.

He seemed to predict her rejection. “Toph, please,” he whispered against her lips, pulling her small body closer. “I need this. I need you.”

Aang didn’t want to think anymore. Grief, confusion, and unfamiliar desire threatened to overwhelm the innocent monk- so he focused on something solid. Something physical, that he could hold in his hands. Not the whirlwind of insubstantial emotions vying for release.

Instead, it seemed he sought a release of a different type altogether.

He leaned down and kissed her again, passionately, hungrily. Toph froze, unsure of this new assault. Her body grew warm as she realized amidst his kisses that he was investigating her curves with increasingly bold fingers.

Then… he touched her left breast.

It was unlike before when he had accidentally gotten a handful when he crashed into her and knocked them both to the ground in the Cave of Two Lovers. This was intentional. Curious. Purposeful.

And it excited her to no end.

Her knees gave out as a jolt of something entirely too delightful shot through her at his touch. Aang held onto her, as his arm was already around her waist, and carefully lowered her onto the stones.

Now this almost made things worse, as she could sense him with all of her body like this, both through Earthbending and from the pressure of his weight pressing against her. His hands seemed to be everywhere- but then again, hers were drifting over his body as well, visualizing in her mind how he might look if her eyes worked.

His kisses were fevered, almost frantic. Considering how gentle the Airbender usually was, his behavior might be thought of as rough, but Toph reveled in it. She loved it when he was determined about something. Even when he had been resolute about not killing off Sparky’s old man, she had admired his stubbornness. He had been unmovable- just as she had taught him.

And he was using that same determination in seducing her. Not that he needed to do much- she was already in love with the man anyway. And some part of her heart was telling her that if she didn’t make some sort of memory with Aang, she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

Her need to be with him was now reaching a fever pitch, as it seemed to feed of his own frantic desire. She wanted to be closer to him, touching him, seeing his body with her own.

Her hands came up to her waist and he pulled back a little. He watched as she fiddled with the obi-like belt securing her tunic. Aang managed to untie the item for her without taking his mouth from hers. “Toph,” he murmured, pulling open her tunic to expose her chest, covered with bindings. His hand covered one mound, testing the feel of it without her shirt in the way. He groaned as he realized it still wasn’t enough.

He wanted more. He wanted all of her.

And she seemed be as impatient as he; she tugged at his collar, trying to get the voluminous garment off him. Her hands desperately wanted to touch where her eyes could not see.

The monk pulled back from her briefly enough to discard his robe, leaving him clad only in his brown pants and boots. Even his Airbender necklace was tossed aside with no regard for its future condition.

He had more important matters.

Toph took the opportunity to tug at her chest bindings. When Aang took one of her hands and placed it on his bare chest, she froze for only a moment before deciding to throw caution- and her bindings- to the wind, being forced to tear the thin cloths in order to get out of them fast enough.

Aang’s grey eyes traveled from her face, even more beautiful flushed with desire and anticipation, and drifted to her now-bare bosom- and a wave of pure possessiveness washed over him.

Mine.

Toph mentally whispered the word to herself as she ran her palms over Aang’s bare chest. Well, for the moment he was hers, anyway. The boy’s skinny torso had grown into a man’s well-muscled abdomen, even though he was still slender by her standards. Which she preferred.

Of course, since it was Aang, it didn’t matter. She preferred him. Period.

Aang seemed mesmerized by the sight of her naked skin. She wiggled slightly to catch his attention.

Which she did. Completely.

He dipped his head and very carefully, licked one pert tip. Toph bit back a gasp of surprise- and of bliss that his mouth brought. He grew bolder, kissing her and suckling as if she gave him life itself.

And, perhaps in a way, she was.

His hand drifted lower, finding its way into places she had only dreamed about him touching. His touch was feather-light and only served to enthrall her more.

Aang pressed his body against hers, pushing her harder against the stone ground. Toph could feel the heavy evidence of his need against her thigh. “Please, Toph. I can’t wait anymore.”

Guarding her heart against what would surely follow after, she lifted her arms in a gesture of invitation.

And the young Airbender surrendered his wings to dance with the earth.

.o(O)o.

Toph sat up, her mind in a state of utter chaos. What they had just done went against everything she had been taught about morality- to say nothing about adultery. He’s still engaged to Sugar Queen! How could I get carried away in the moment like that?

…I’m going to hell. And she’ll be waiting there for me just so she can freeze my feet off so I can never see again.

“Toph?”

For the first time in a long time, the bold Earthbender felt self-conscious. She crossed her arms over her bare chest and hugged herself tightly, bringing her legs closer to her body.

She cursed her ability to see through Earthbending as she sensed Aang scooch closer before placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

His pulse was racing- he was genuinely alarmed by her unusual behavior. Well, hell. So was she.

Without replying, she reached out and grabbed what was left of her chest bindings and her loin wrap. With practiced hands she secured the scraps of cloth around her chest, wincing slightly as her weight shifted and her newly-tender skin pressed against the rough stone ground. Aang caught her flinch and took the loin wrap from her hand. “Here,” he murmured. “Let me help you. I mean, I took them off, so…”

Toph shook her head but he ignored her silent protests. With slow, careful movements that nearly made her cry with their tenderness, he wrapped the cloth around her, securing her comfortably. “Is it… is it too tight anywhere?” he asked softly, wishing she would turn her face towards him.

She shook her head and reached for her tunic- only to have Aang grasp her hand instead. “Toph,” he pleaded, “say something. Yell at me. Throw something at me. Bend me off the mountain. Just PLEASE- don’t be like this. It’s not like you.”

She couldn’t speak. What would she say? What could she say? She had betrayed her friendship with Katara just because she couldn’t ignore the love she had for the bald Airbender. The young woman stood up, aware of a dull ache between her legs that reminded her all too clearly of the incredible events that had occurred merely moments before.

Toph took a deep, albeit shaky breath. “What about Sugar Queen?” she asked quietly, walking over to where her pants lay. Picking them up and putting them on, she focused on getting dressed- instead on how her heart was going to break when she had to watch (well, sort of) the love of her life marry her best friend.

Now she really knew how Sparky felt. Well, if all else fails, maybe I can marry Sparky. Needles won’t like it, but I’ll bet he’ll think I’m a better choice. At least I have more than one emotion and I’m not likely to kill him with knives or boredom.

“Katara loves Zuko,” Aang’s voice sounded from behind her and she paused. “And Zuko loves Katara.”

Toph didn’t move. Truth be told, she was afraid to move. “So… what are you going to do? You’re… still engaged to her. “

He sighed. “I… I know. And I can’t break the engagement deal I made with Hakoda. He’ll kill me.”

“Should’ve thought about that an hour ago.”

Aang winced at the bitterness in her voice. “Toph…”

She partly faced him and gave him her “I’m-tougher-than-I-look” grin. “No worries, Twinkletoes. Don’t let this put a dent in your plans. It was just a one-time, spur of the moment things. Think of it as practice for your wedding night to Sweetness.” Her smile faded and her voice grew soft, almost wistful. “Not… that you really needed it.”

He blushed slightly. “But, Toph, what about…?”

“I’ll be fine,” she said brightly- too brightly, he thought. “We satisfied our curiosity, is all. No need to get all sappy. I mean, you still love Sugar Queen, right?”

“Well, of course I do-“

“Then just forget what just happened, okay?” Even though I won’t. Ever.

Aang stared after her as she walked away, head held high and her long black hair, having come unbound during their interlude, streaming gracefully in the wind. Until just now… I had never seen her with her hair down… and that… is how I will always remember her.

.o(O)o.

Appa bellowed as Toph approached and the petite Earthbender scratched the beast on his nose. “Hey, you big rug.” He licked Toph’s cheek with his massive tongue, earning himself disgusted laugh from her. “Oy- was that really necessary?”

He grunted and nudged her, pushing her toward a small stone alcove. Confused, she turned. “What’s wrong with you, Appa? It’s just a stone wall.”

The bison whuffed, stirring her hair. She pressed her hand against the stone. Her eyes flew wide. “There’s a room beyond here- with no doors? But how…?”

Appa nudged her again. “Earthbender, huh? I suppose if they helped build the place they would’ve made rooms that only Earthbenders could enter.” She thrust her arms out to each side and the wall separated effortlessly, allowing her entrance.

Aang appeared, fully dressed once again, and peered around the newly-made doorway. “Toph?”

“Your furry friend found us a weird room,” she told him. “Although I don’t know why he’s so adamant that we be in here.”

Aang followed her inside and bent a small flame into his palm to help him see. “There’s something on that wooden pillar.”

She crossed her arms. “Really? I’ll have to take your word for it.”

Ignoring her sarcasm, he picked up the box and examined it, his heart beating loudly. “It… it’s got the Air Nomad symbol on it,” he murmured.

“Then let’s take it with us,” she suggested. “You can check it over on our way to the North Pole.”

The flame dancing over his palm wavered. “But…”

“Come on. If Crazy was just here, she could still be lurking somewhere nearby. And I don’t know about you, but I’m really not in the mood to deal with her.”

Extinguishing the flame, he followed her back outside. “Right. We need to hurry and let the others know what happened to Guru Pathik.” He bent the stone wall back into place.

Toph put a hand on Appa’s front leg, waiting for the bison to kneel down so she could climb into the saddle easier, but an arm suddenly wrapped itself around her waist and she found herself flying up and in. “Hey!”

“Did I hurt you?”

She scowled even as she blushed. In more ways that you could possibly know. “No, you just surprised me. You’re not usually chivalrous.”

“I am too!”

“Only to Sugar Queen and those itty bitty fangirls of yours on Kyoshi Island.”

He grinned as he remembered the group of little girls who followed him around whenever he’d visit the Island. “I’ve always been good to you too,” he reminded her.

“Yeah, yeah.”

He picked up one of her bare feet and kissed the top. Her whole body went on alert. “What are you doing?!”

“Well, normally a chivalrous man would kiss a lady’s hand,” he replied cheerfully, “but I thought with you, it’d be more appropriate to kiss your foot. So you could see me.”

She tugged her foot out of his grasp and curled into a ball, blushing furiously- and hoping he wouldn’t see how he had turned her into a pile of warm, fuzzy mush. “Oh, let’s just get going.”

He chuckled. “As my lady commands.”

“I’m not your lady.” Sugar Queen is your lady. Not me. Not ever me.

Except for one, glorious, heart-breaking afternoon.

Enough, woman. It’s over. Forget it happened and move on.

Right. That’s best. As far as anyone’s concerned… this never happened.
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Smile Because It Happened