Ember Island was like falling in love all over again.

Their vacation had come and gone several months ago. The moment their ship docked in the capitol, the responsibility of being Fire Lord and Fire Lady rushed back to them. Attendants were waiting for them with updates and checklists and agendas. Councilors were already lined up outside, vying for their attention. They barely had time for a quick kiss before they were pulled in two directions.

For the first time, Katara didn't even care.

Over the next few months, they held meetings and a trial, organized festivals and food drives. They met with citizens in the colonies, negotiated taxes, watched too many school performances and had to smile through them all, even the bad ones. Many nights, one of them would get to bed long after the other, but the late night cuddles were always plentiful. Even in her deepest sleep, she could always hear a quiet voice whispering love to her. It wasn't until six months in that their workload started to slow, and they were finally able to enjoy more time to themselves again.

Katara sighed happily as she stepped into the bedroom, closing the door behind her and putting an end to the day. Her days might be long, and more often than not, she might collapse into bed, barely able to change her clothes, but she always felt satisfied with her work. Inch by inch, she and Zuko were changing the Fire Nation for the better, and whenever they went to the capitol's market, or visited other islands or travelled to the colonies, they always saw more than just red. There were reds and greens, occasionally some blues. Slowly, the world was starting to come together, and for that, Katara felt extremely proud.

"Zuko?"

She kicked off her shoes as she walked around their suite, looking for her husband. She sighed when she didn't find him, figuring he'd make it to bed eventually, and headed to the bathroom to run herself a steaming bath. Autumn in the Fire Nation was one of her favorite things; she loved the cool breezes and the bright sun. While her bath ran, she opened the windows, inviting in the cool night air. Then she snuck a little of Zuko's bath stuff, peering around the corner to make sure he hadn't come in. She giggled to herself as she poured the oils in, and the room was filled with the scent of him. It was woody and a little spicy, and it always reminded her of a good fire. She wrapped her arms around herself in the heat of the room, and it felt as if Zuko was all around her. She slowly stepped into the bath, feeling the warmth she'd always associated with him creeping up her body, sighing as it touched her thighs and her stomach, soothing her muscles, and easing the tension out. She sunk lower, the water almost too hot, recalling to mind other times that she'd felt something, or someone, this hot and this close to her. When she was submerged to her chin, she leaned back against the edge of the tub and closed her eyes, running her hands up her legs as she thought about her wonderful, delightful firebender.

Faintly, she heard someone yelling about snacks and not using all their bath stuff, but Katara was blissfully in some state between wakefulness and sleep. It wasn't until all the warmth had seeped out of the bath and the breeze became too cold that she finally stepped out. Sighing contentedly, Katara wrapped a fluffy towel around herself and exited the bathroom.

"Did you fall asleep in the bath again?"

Zuko was waiting for her, sitting on the floor in his pajamas with his back against the couch with a bottle of wine and a platter of snacks next to him. His words were a little slurred, but his smile was brilliant, and when he held his arms open, she went to him. Zuko tugged on her towel until she let it go, running his hands along her legs. Katara sighed deeply, closing her eyes as she remembered the caressing warmth of her bath, and she nearly jumped when he kissed the inside of her thigh.

"Someone's frisky," she said, smoothing back his hair.

He kissed further up her thigh, his lips hot, and Katara took deep breaths to steady herself. Golden eyes looked up at her, slightly unfocused, but loving. Eager.

"How much of the wine did you have?"

"Half a bottle," Zuko said, his mouth on her leg. "I was trying to wait for you, but you took forever. And you used my bath stuff."

Katara shrugged, tracing the edges of Zuko's scar. She followed the curve of his ear, trailing her fingers along his jaw, cupping his chin and tilting his face toward her. She swore she didn't shiver when he licked his lips. She swore she didn't feel a tingle in the pit of her stomach when his hot fingers gripped her harder.

"You shouldn't have left me alone for so long," she said breathlessly.

"I'm sorry," Zuko said quietly, with every ounce of sincerity. "What can I do to make up for it?"

Her heart was thudding in her chest as she smiled at him. Zuko kissed up her leg from her knee to her hip. He pulled her forward a little more, her legs already shaky as he put his mouth on her, her eyes rolling back as he flicked his tongue across that bud before licking her, long and slow.

"Does this please my queen?"

Katara nodded vigorously, her whole body on fire. "It does."

He kissed her again, his lips hot against her, his tongue slipping out to part her as he moaned appreciatively. He swirled his tongue around her opening, once, twice, then reached deep inside of her, searching for all the right spots, as her knees buckled. Zuko's hands were firm at her hips as he held her over his face as he sucked. An icy shiver ran down her spine, and Katara braced herself against the couch, whimpering as his heated tongue probed deeper, touching something inside of her that made the pleasure coil in the pit of her stomach. She whispered his name, begged him for more, and he obliged, slipping a finger inside of her, curling it as he sucked on her, and Katara felt that she was going to lose her mind as the tension built, and when he slipped in a second finger and his tongue, something exploded in her mind, and she cried out, ripping herself away from him.

Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was six months with minimal contact. Maybe he just needed her that badly. Katara collapsed quivering and shaking on the couch, her muscles tightening painfully, barely aware of Zuko's warmth shifting around her. The next thing she knew, she was being tossed over his shoulder as he marched toward their bed.

"Zuko, what—"

"You told me to please you," he said, his voice deep with lust.

Zuko tossed her down on the bed, and the moment she hit the mattress, he was on her again, and it was as if the wave had never receded. Zuko pinned her hips down to the mattress, even though she moaned and twisted and turned, grabbing a chunk of his hair, wanting to get out of his grasp to escape the pleasure at the same time that she wanted him to make it so intense it bordered on pain. Already, he was a furnace between her legs, and she arched her back, moaning loudly as she tore at the sheets as he kissed his way up her body, swirling his tongue around first one nipple, then the other, his fingers stroking deep places within her. With every thrust of his fingers, he rocked his whole body against hers, and she could feel him incredibly hard, rubbing against her thigh.

When he kissed her, she could taste herself on his tongue, and her taste mixed with the faint taste of ash, and Katara smiled into the kiss, knowing that he'd be spitting fire, soon. His own breath was ragged as he moved his fingers faster, his hips bucking against her, and Katara desperately wanted him out of his pants, but his arms were jelly, and she could feel her first orgasm cresting as she raked her nails down his back. Zuko stifled the scream, biting her shoulder as her muscles clenched around his fingers, and she didn't want him to stop moving his fingers inside of her, rolling her hips into his hand until he got the hint and helped her ride the crest of the wave.

"I need you," Zuko whispered hoarsely. "Agni above, I need you."

Three times Katara tried to proper herself up on quivering arms, and finally she fell, laughing, her body still shaking. She grabbed a fistful of Zuko's hair and pulled him down for a kiss, wrapping her leg around his hip and tugging at the belt to his pants.

"Please me," she said when she finally broke the kiss. "Please your queen."

Katara didn't think she'd ever seen him get rid of his pants so quickly, and when she opened her arms to him, still smiling and giddy from her first orgasm, he came to her, positioning himself between her legs. He kissed her, and the ashes were thicker on his tongue, and she whimpered into his mouth as he rubbed against her. He pushed into her just a little before pulling out, teasing her, making her reach for him, and Katara did this eagerly, rocking her hips to meet his, digging her nails into his side as he slid inside of her. Zuko shivered on top of her, resting his forehead on the bed beside her, and she could hear his breath coming in ragged gasps as he whispered her name, slowly starting to move, in and out. She kissed Zuko's neck, circling his sensitive spots with her tongue, and he collapsed on top of her. Katara grabbed his hips and encouraged him to move, and he did, grunting with each thrust, her eyes rolling back in her head as he moved faster and faster, pushing deep into her. Zuko was getting hotter against her, and he struggled to swallow his fire and not set both them and the bed on fire.

"Give me your fire," Katara whispered in his ear.

Zuko let out a low moan, whispering that she'd be the death of him as he gripped her hip painfully hard. She smiled, kissing his neck as she ran her fingers down his spine, pushing him closer to the edge, determined to draw the fire out of him. She shoved at his shoulder until he shifted their positions, and Katara kissed her way down his body, delighting in every twitch, every light moan, and her biggest reward was his smirk when she took him in her mouth. She swallowed all of him, holding his hips down as she worked him, first with just her mouth, and then with her hand, circling his tip with her tongue, watching as one eye rolled back in his head and he clawed at the sheets. She watched his muscles twitch as he tried to escape the pleasure, but Katara held him prisoner, and wouldn't let him go.

When he stuttered he name and reached for her, Katara mounted him, and he broke.

Zuko coughed bursts of brilliant red flame as Katara swirled her hips, moving up and down as she clawed at his chest. She loved the way he thrust into her, completely feeling her, and the harder he pushed, the closer he brought her to the edge. She pinned his arms above his head, leaning forward and slamming her hips down against his until she could feel the water stirring inside of her, and Katara did everything she could to hold it back, to build a damn in her mind that would keep her from getting too close to the edge, but her concentration was broken when Zuko spanked her hard, grabbing her hips and crashing into her. Her arms gave out, and she fell forward, and his heat was almost suffocating.

It started with a tingling at the crown of her head, spreading through her scalp and down her spine. She collapsed, her fingers twitching when it hit her shoulders, and by the time it reached her spine, the light had exploded behind her eyes, and all she could do was breathe in shallow hiccupping breaths, and she could barely feel Zuko reaching down to rub her, could barely feel the fire explode out of Zuko, could barely feel the water gush out of her. When the tremor hit her hips, Katara felt the tears stinging her eyes, and she didn't have the strength to hold them back, and she just let them fall, finding comfort in the release. Warmth surrounded her, gently caressing her body, and Katara melted into Zuko and his kisses.

"I love you," he said, his voice raw. "I love you."

Katara nodded and smiled, too tired to speak just yet, instead kissing every inch of his scar, holding his face in her hands. When the tears started again, Zuko wiped them away, his touch more gentle than she'd ever felt it. He kissed her eyelids and held her close as he pulled the blankets around them. He kissed her shoulder and snuggled up to her.

"My life is so much better with you," Katara whispered.

It was cute the way he gasped and looked surprised, as if he'd never expected those words. As if after all these years, he didn't expect someone to say that about him. Katara couldn't help laughing a little as she pulled him close for another kiss.

"You shouldn't still be surprised by that," she whispered.

Zuko shrugged. "I'll always be surprised that we ended up here. I'll always be incredibly happy that we ended up here."

Katara yawned as fatigue settled in, and she squeezed Zuko as hard as she could, wondering if it would be possible to physically merge with him more than she already had.

"I love you," she whispered into his chest.

Zuko kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too."

A/N: And there we have the end! An anon asked about this story and fitting in with the little universe I created with all my stories/headcanon. This one exists outside of that little universe. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and comments you've left me!