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xXx

They'd been visiting one of the possible sites for the unified city when the storm hit. The sun was starting to set.

Sokka and Aang were too busy to join the survey team when they had come here a month ago and wanted to see the site for themselves. They also wanted to visit without local politicians present, if possible, to get an unbiased look at the area. In an effort to remain unobtrusive, they elected to camp on the beach off of the bay, rather than staying at the nearby inn.

Their tents were already set up but the wind coupled with the rain meant they were soaked by the time they returned to camp. Appa stood in the woods that bordered the sand, taking what shelter he could beneath the trees. Aang bent a hasty earthen enclosure for the bison, who went gratefully inside, then created smaller shelters over the tents. Katara went to dry the tents with help from Sokka and Suki while Aang joined Appa.

"Sorry, buddy!" he apologized, and began pulling the water from his fur. There was a distant rumble of thunder. "This storm kind of snuck up on me."

Appa gave a skeptical-sounding huff and Aang rolled his eyes.

"Okay, maybe I've been distracted lately," he conceded.

It had been a little over two months since he and Katara had given themselves to each other and Aang now spent an inordinate amount of time fabricating reasonable excuses for the two of them to be alone. He guessed he wasn't alone in his preoccupation, either, as Katara seemed to have some fib ready most of the time, herself. When he wasn't plotting an opportunity to sneak off with her, he was often absorbed in memories of the last time they'd managed it. His brain just seemed to go there, no matter how poor the timing was. Not that he was trying terribly hard to prevent it, if he was being honest.

Aang reached up to scratch Appa through his fur and glanced around them.

"I'm going to give you a little more room, okay? I just wanted to make sure you were dry first."

His old friend gave a grunt of assent and Aang stepped outside, into the downpour to double check their surroundings. Satisfied the area was clear, he planted his feet and shifted the stone structure up and out slightly. He threw his hand up to shield himself from the rain once he was finished but his robes were already damp. Sokka and Suki were inside their tent and he waved to Katara, who had poked her head out of hers to watch him. She ducked inside completely once she saw him moving toward his own tent. He bid Appa good night as he went.

Once he was under cover, Aang pulled his wet robes from his shoulder, drawing the water from the fabric and bending it outside. Katara had already dried the floor and blankets for him. The interior of the tent was illuminated by a candle burning in the far corner. He dropped his discarded clothing and stood with his hands on his hips. Chest bare, he was trying to decide where to start drying himself off when he felt Katara leave her tent and make her way toward his. By the time she was approaching, jogging across the wet sand, he'd already swept the flap open to admit her. She dashed inside, out of the rain, giggling.

"Hi!" she said brightly, turning to face him. He stood with his back to the opening of the tent, positioning himself close to the exit, anticipating an interruption out of habit.

"Hi." He gave a hesitant grin and ran his hand over his scalp, flicking the water away. He knew he was blushing. The pounding of the rain into the nearby bay and against the stone around them was so loud they could speak in their normal voices, rather than whispering.

"Do you mind if I stay for a while?" she asked. His eyebrows rose in surprise.

"I don't mind, but I'm sure Sokka would have something to say about it."

Katara's lips curled into a sly smile, "Toph isn't here to tell him. And I don't know if you noticed, but it's raining pretty hard." She moved closer to him, looking up into his eyes, "It doesn't feel to me like this storm is going to let up anytime soon." She tilted her head, "What do you think?"

He ran his tongue across his lower lip. He tried to focus on the dark, swirling clouds above them and the humidity in the air, as if she really had come here for a second opinion on the weather. "I think you're right," he agreed.

"I'm pretty sure he and Suki are in for the night," she offered.

She was so close. He wanted to kiss her, to touch her. The thought of their well armed chaperone mere yards away froze him to the spot. Katara bit her lip and he could tell she was second guessing what she'd obviously believed to be a straightforward plan. She ran her fingers through her hair and glanced past him, toward the mouth of the tent.

"Should I go?" she asked, sounding a little embarrassed.

"No, no, I just - " Aang shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I don't want to abuse Sokka's trust, you know?"

Katara frowned, "We've been sneaking around behind his back for months," she pointed out.

He opened his mouth to speak, closed it again. Finally he said, "It's a little different when we're right under his nose."

She rolled her eyes, hand on her hip, and gestured in the direction of Sokka's tent, "He does whatever he wants!" she protested, "He and Suki were spending the night together long before they got engaged."

"I never said I thought it was fair," Aang replied, smiling.

She softened and grazed his shoulder with her fingertips. His skin was still speckled with rain and she bent the water off of him almost as an afterthought, flicking it under the flap and out of the tent.

"It's just frustrating," she explained, as if she needed to. She folded her arms across her chest, "I watch you and I think about being with you all day. Then he goes off to bed with Suki but if he caught me in here with you he'd freak out. He's such a hypocrite."

Aang's eyes widened a little at this admission, "Do you really?" Her brows knit together in confusion and he clarified, "Think about being with me? All day?"

She blushed, looking away, as if she hadn't even fully registered what she'd said. She met his eyes again, trying to hold back a smile.

"Don't you?" she asked, a little teasing, already knowing the answer.

He let out a quiet laugh, scrubbing his knuckles on the back of his neck, his face hot. He gestured upward with his free hand, "When was the last time a storm this big surprised either of us? I think it's pretty obvious my mind was somewhere else today."

Katara smiled and caught his hand, twining her fingers in his, rising up slightly on her toes to kiss him. They were gentle at first, their lips brushing against each other in restrained denial, the same sort of relatively chaste kisses they shared in public. She released his hand to circle his neck with her arms. Aang let one of his hands rest on her waist. He ran the fingers of his other hand through her hair, his tongue sliding against hers. Spreading her fingers on the back of his head, she broke the kiss to drag her lips along his jaw toward his ear. He closed his eyes.

"Sometimes I want you so much it hurts," she murmured.

With a weak moan of sympathy, his lips met hers again. He cupped her face as he backed her slowly toward the rear of the tent.

Not long ago, this sort of contact between them would have been the limit, instead of an invitation. There had been a gulf between them, for years, the two of them waiting on the precipice. Now they'd fallen in, and there seemed to be no bottom to it. A matter of months ago, their encounters ended abruptly. The tension in their private moments would crest, and they would stop, pull away before things got out of hand. The kisses that grew steadily more feverish, the intimate touches that never seemed to completely dull the ache in either of them; none of it was enough and they both knew it. Aang expected that finally having sex would be a relief. He assumed they would come through the other side, somehow, that the hunger between them would be satisfied in some way. Their new reality was almost more difficult. Instead there was more need, more longing. It didn't feel like he could ever stop wanting her.

The rain fell, her element suffusing the air as the storm beat against the stone. His lungs felt filled with her. Katara's power ebbed and flowed, rolling across him like the waves outside. The moon was rising over the ocean and he wondered why he thought he could have denied her anything to begin with. She slid her hands down his chest, along his ribs, leaving goosebumps behind where she touched him. Her nails scraped his back as she pulled him closer, pinning herself between his body and the stone behind her. The urgency in their kiss grew as his hand slipped into the folds of her clothing with practiced ease, skimming across her abdomen. Katara let out a sigh as Aang inhaled, taking in the air that had just been inside her. She was so soft. She was so strong it seemed almost impossible she was also this soft. Hooking his index finger in her bindings, he tugged gently until they came loose. When he finally got his hand beneath them, she moaned in relief against his lips. Desire spilled through it, flooding down into his stomach, between his legs. Katara tugged at the sash around her waist to open her tunic, pulling away her bindings along with it, dropping both to the ground. She wrapped her arms around him again, pressing her bare chest to his, trapping his hand between them.

Leaning into her, lips on her throat, Aang splayed his fingers on her back. Katara hooked her leg on his hip to pull him closer and he ran his hand along her thigh to her backside, pressing himself against her heat. The friction between them drew a groan out of him. He nipped at her neck, his teeth grazing the spot where her pulse beat beneath her skin. Her nails bit into his back again with a dig as she whispered his name. There was already pressure welling inside him when her fingertips crept into the waistband of his pants. He caught her wrist and pulled back to look into her eyes, both of them breathing heavily.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

He licked his lips, "No, I just - " he swallowed and took a deep breath, "I just need to slow down for a minute."

"Okay," she replied, a reassuring smile on her lips. She lowered her leg to give him a bit of space. He released her hand and she cupped his face to kiss his lower lip, the tip of his nose. He closed his eyes as she did it, his hands on her hips. "Am I being too pushy?" she murmured, letting her hands rest on his shoulders.

He shook his head and touched his forehead to hers, "I like it," he replied, too shy to open his eyes when he said it, "I'm glad you want me as much as I want you." When their eyes finally met again, she was blushing but she looked pleased. The corner of his mouth quirked up into a hesitant smile. He ran his hand up her side, thumb skimming her abdomen.

"Can I finish undressing you?" he asked.

Katara gave a low laugh and kissed him again, "How do you manage to make that question so polite and sexy at the same time?" she asked.

xXx

Their clothing lay in a heap in the corner of the tent and they'd taken refuge under one of the blankets. Katara was on her back, Aang between her legs, her thighs against his hips. He was propped up on his elbows, trying to strike a balance between keeping his weight off of her and the desire to have as much of his naked skin against hers as possible. She locked one of her legs around his in an effort to pull him closer. He was still wearing his shorts and she rolled her hips, grinding roughly against him as she kissed him. He groaned into her mouth, the sound shuddering out of him before he could try to stop it. Neither of them were terribly experienced but he had learned enough to know this ultimately ended up being unsatisfying when both of them were impatient. Already painfully hard, he shifted over reluctantly so that he was laying next to her. Katara pouted but it was fleeting. He pulled the blanket down slightly, exposing her torso, running his knuckles down her ribs. He slid his palm along her abdomen, his hand vanishing beneath the blanket. She was holding her breath and let it out in a low whimper when his fingers slid inside her.

Determined not to have any unexpected interruptions, he pushed the blankets they were laying on aside a bit with his toes. He shifted the ball of his foot against the ground, hoping the vague sense he had of the camp through the sand was accurate enough. It was helpful whatever the case. Focusing on bending for even a moment helped to clear the haze of hormones fogging his brain. It was requiring every ounce of will he could summon to take this slowly. He knew the sight of her now was going to be seared into his brain for days. Her head was tilted back, eyes closed as she squirmed under his touch, her lips slightly parted. She panted as he worked and heat radiated up into his abdomen as he listened to her. His arousal tightened inside him, gnawing at him. He moved down a bit, bending to draw her nipple into his mouth, dragging his tongue across the dimpled skin. Katara moaned, the sound swallowed up by the wind and the rain outside. She shifted her hips against his hand and he pushed deeper.

"Aang," she pleaded. The thrill of hearing her say his name that way had not worn off. It sent a surge of desire through him, and a little pride. He lifted his head to look at her. She'd fisted her hand in her hair and her back arched off of the blankets as he curled his fingers slightly inside her.

"We have time," he said, his voice low, "I'm keeping an eye out." She bit her lip and turned her head to look at him. Her eyelids were heavy, gaze clouded with need, and he knew it was a mirror to his own expression. He scooted up to kiss her and she ran her hand down his arm to his wrist.

"I want you," she insisted, stopping the movement of his hand.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he should continue drawing this out. He couldn't bring himself to do it, not when she was this warm and ready for him and urging him on. Not when he was aching so badly to be inside her. He rose to his knees to remove the last of his clothing and the moment he was completely exposed she was touching him, cool fingers wrapped around him. He lowered himself onto his elbows to kiss her and she tilted her hips up, pressing against him.

Aang sank into her, engulfed in the gentle yielding of her warmth, momentarily overwhelmed. He wondered if the newness of this would ever diminish, the relief of the sensation that he was finally exactly where he was meant to be. They waited, the two of them breathing unsteadily against each other. He had already forgotten that he was trying to pay attention to anything outside the tent.

They whispered to each other, exchanging affirmations and instructions as Aang thrust slowly into her, running his fingers through her hair. He would have been satisfied with this slow, deliberate version of things, but he could tell from the way Katara twisted her hips that she was not entirely satisfied with the pace. After a few minutes he brushed his knuckles along her cheek, looking down into her eyes, stopping the movement of his hips.

"Do you want to be on top for a while?" he asked. Katara blushed and looked away and back. She knew from their admittedly limited experimentation that having her on top was his preference, but it made her a little self conscious. They had only done it a few times. "It's fine if you'd rather not," he assured her, "I just thought you might want - " now he was blushing, feeling a little ridiculous at being unable to articulate this without bashfulness. " - I'm still kind of scared I'll hurt you," he confessed at last.

She licked her lips and nodded, "Okay," she replied.

He pulled out even though he was loath to do it and rose onto his knees. She sat up and shifted to the side, giving him room to lay down. The solitary flame of the candle threw shadows across her body. The swell of her breasts and the curve of her hips were thrown into sharp relief as she settled over him. His breath hitched as she touched him and lowered herself onto him. He held himself as still as possible, resisting the urge to move beneath her, waiting for her cues. She pushed her hair back and let out a shaky breath, her movements cautious. She shifted her hips a bit to take him in completely with a little grunt.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded. "I can put the candle out if you want," he offered.

She shook her head and ran her fingertips down his chest, "I want to see you, too," she said with a shy smile. He reached up to cup her breast and she laid her hand over his. She began moving, slowly at first. "I like the way you look at me," she explained, her cheeks reddening further. His own face felt hot and she smiled, a glimmer of triumph in her eyes. She pushed his hands to her hips. He made a helpless little sound of protest, torn between the desire to touch her and the relief at having an unobstructed view of her body.

"You're amazing," he breathed. She didn't respond to this but it seemed to encourage her, and her tempo increased. Low gasps slipped out of her. He could only stand a few minutes of this before he sat up, supporting himself with one hand and gripping her hip with the other.

Katara tipped her head back as he grazed her throat with parted lips and the tip of his tongue, sliding across goosebumps and dragging away the taste of her sweat. He tilted his head to work his way down. She whimpered, pushing back against him as he pulled her nipple into his mouth with a gentle suck. He could feel her hand moving between them, the occasional brush of her slick fingertips on the base of his erection. He remembered how embarrassed and hesitant she'd been, the first time she touched herself in front of him. Now she didn't stop when he leaned back to look at her, to watch. His eyes traveled slowly upward, across her abdomen, her breasts, the sheen of sweat on the center of her chest. When he reached her face he realized she'd been watching him, too, her blue eyes piercing him. It sent heat rolling through him and it was too much, her gaze too commanding, and he sat up again to kiss her. He tensed inside her and pressed his forehead to hers.

"I'm so close," he murmured against her lips. She nodded.

"Me, too," she responded, and the moan in her voice nearly pushed him over the edge.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, "What can I do?" he asked. He leaned in to kiss her neck, breathing in the scent of her hair and her damp skin. He felt her swallow.

"Move with me?" she said, the request so hesitant it was more like a question.

He nodded and lay back, closing his eyes, trying to take his mind anywhere else to buy him a few precious moments. She braced herself against his chest with her free hand. There was nowhere else for him to go. He couldn't think of anything but her, of her warm weight across his hips, her gasps as he thrust up to meet her. She wore away at him, like the sea eroding a stone. The closer he drew to climax, the more exposed he felt, reduced to a driving force of instinct and need. It felt desperate, as if he were drowning and only she could save him.

It was like the ground disappeared from beneath him and he gripped her hips. He clung to her as he came, willing himself to keep his pace as steady as he could while the contractions of his orgasm stuttered through him. He opened his eyes to watch her. Katara cried out, her nails raking his skin just as his rhythm was beginning to falter. He breathed out a gratified moan, relieved, his hands sliding to her thighs. He slowed his movements to match hers until she finally stilled and leaned down over him to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in the pillow next to his head.

The white noise of the storm filled his ears as he stared up at the ceiling of the tent. He tried not to focus on the wind and the rain, wanting to preserve the experience of being inside her for as long as he could. He didn't want the simplicity of the moment to end, the straightforwardness of it, just the two of them here together. He didn't want to worry about anything but his devotion to her.

"I love you," he whispered, running his fingertips down her spine. She shifted her hips and let out a shaky breath.

"I love you, too," she whispered back. He buried his fingers in her hair and closed his eyes.

"Stay with me," he murmured in her ear, "Don't go back to your tent."

"I wasn't planning on it," she replied.