So Happy I Could Die

Katara snuggled down under the furs. It was nice of Gran Gran to let her stay with her and Pakku while she was visiting the South Pole before heading with some tribesmen to the Earth Kingdom. She'd intended to stay with her dad and Sokka and Suki, but Gran had insisted. She'd told Hakoda that Katara needed rest, and no one would have rest or peace of mind in a room next door to Sokka and Suki.

Gran also had other motives. That was clear the moment she stepped in the door and ran into a certain firebender. Gran had only smiled and shuffled off upstairs claiming she would take a nap because she was an old woman and she was tired and she would be too tired to hear anything. Pakku was teaching a class at the bending school, and wouldn't be home until dinner, she added. Then she stopped at the top of the stairs and said that, since she would be sleep, she also would not be able to see anything.

Katara had smiled and thanked the spirits for the nosy old woman and her meddling.

Which was also why it was the middle of the night and Katara wasn't sleep yet. There was a warm, toasty, muscled, comfortable, delicious, handsome, wonderful, amazing, toasty, warm… Anyway, Zuko was next door, and she hadn't made up her mind if she should go in his room. He hadn't come to hers yet, and it was quite possible that he was actually asleep. She'd been too busy talking trade business to spend much time at home, and she had no idea what Zuko was doing in the South Pole. She could go wake him up, but then he'd probably be grumpy.

Katara rolled on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She had the covers pulled up to her neck, and they were soft and comfortable and felt really nice against her, but she wasn't really tired. She could just get in his bed. This time, Gran and Pakku actually were sleep. And all she was going to do was lay there. Right. Exactly. Yes.

There was a knock at her door, and she figured that maybe Gran wasn't sleep after all.

"It's ok, I'm not sleep," she said. "Come in."

Now, why had she thought her grandmother would be knocking on her door in the middle of the night? She smiled and held her arms open, and Zuko got in the bed with her. He scooped her up and positioned her on top of him, and just held her tightly. She rubbed her cheek against his, then lay her head on his shoulder. His bare shoulder.

"Wait," she said pulling back a little, "why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

He rolled his eyes. "Gran makes me sleep under the furs, and I keep telling her I'm a firebender, I can make my own heat, but she says there's no point in expending all that extra energy. She came and checked on me twice already, and it was getting really warm."

Katara laughed. Leave it to Gran to make a firebender sleep under furs. Not that she was complaining. A shirtless Zuko was a very good Zuko. She snuggled up close to him again and kissed his jaw. He was like her personal blanket, all warm and manly. She laughed. Manly. Stupid Sokka.

"So," she said, her lips just brushing his neck, "what are you doing here? Should you be back in the Fire Nation being all Fire Lordy?"

She couldn't see him, but he was probably rolling his eyes. She could feel him laugh, though, deep down in his throat, and it made his chest vibrate pleasantly, and she pulled herself closer to him. He let one hand hold her by her lower back, and the other ran through her hair.

"I've been kicked out for a month, not including travel time. The council's in summer recess and everyone runs off to Ember Island. I prefer to stay at the palace and get some work done. My staff thinks I need a vacation."

"Oh, and you listened to them? You didn't go 'Arg, I'm the effing Fire Lord,' and slam a few doors?"

He pinched her butt. Hard.

"I do not do that."

"Zoozie, you do." She nipped at his shoulder. Hard.

"Whatever. Anyway, they had Uncle's help. And I'm pretty sure he wrote Gran, which is why I'm here."

Katara started laughing, and couldn't stop. Her grandmother was going to keep them together even if she had to tie them with premium grade sailing rope. She'd written Katara and suggested she leave the North Pole early to spend a month with her family in the South before she had to leave for the Earth Kingdom. She'd planned this all along.

"Gran's been scheming again," she said, running her hands through his hair. He'd cut it, she noticed. She loved his hair. It was nice and soft and silky. "You should let me play in your hair."

"I was kind of hoping we'd just snuggle."

Katara smiled and hugged him closer, crushing herself against him. How many women could say their (secret) boyfriends enjoyed snuggling? Certainly not Suki. Sokka got in the bed with her, and there were very few things on his mind. Sleep and snuggle could not be counted among them. She pulled back from him and traced circles on his chest. He was so warm, and even when she wasn't pressed so close to him, she was still within his protective circle of warmth and love. She place a hand over his lightning scar.

"I love you, Zuko," she said, blushing.

He took her hand and held it over his beating heart, and leaned forward to kiss her, first ghosting his lips over hers so that they tingled, then pressing a little. When he pulled back, she followed him, his heart beating steadily, rhythmically against her hand. She broke the kiss because her own heart was clenching, and that familiar stab of pain was there. She took a shuddering breath, and looked away from him, blinking and willing herself not to cry.

"I'm here," he said, taking her face in his hands and gently turning her to face him. "I'm here, my heart's beating, and I love you."

There was such peace and serenity in his face, and the hint of a smile, and it helped to push back bad memories of a comet and lightning and the fear that he'd never wake up. His chest rose and fell as he breathed, and she leaned in to kiss him again, this time more insistently. His hands slid down her back, leaving a trail of warmth that made her skin break out in goosebumps, and when she opened her mouth, he took her lip between her teeth as his hands came to rest on her bottom, scooting her closer to him.

"Katara—oh."

Of course Gran would play deaf and blind the entire day, but now in the middle of the night, she'd show up unannounced in Katara's room smiling like she'd uncovered the snow spirit's secret gold hoard.

"Never mind. I found him."

Zuko laughed and kissed her cheek.

"Gran," Katara whined, suddenly wishing she'd worn the thicker, longer nightgown. And hadn't been caught sitting on his lap with his hands on her butt.

"Sorry," Gran was saying as she stepped out of the room. "I can't hear anything."

"Gran!"

"Still can't hear you, but there's a bottle of summer wine downstairs. Honestly, I don't know why Iroh sent that at all." And the door closed, and that was that.

Zuko, of course, thought this was hilarious. He brought one hand to his forehead as he leaned his head back until it rested against the wall.

"Man, I don't think Uncle even knew what he was doing. I bet he thought that was for Gran and Pakku."

"You haven't told your uncle about us?"

Katara pushed against him and crossed her arms. Really, after all Iroh did for Zuko, it was the least he could do. Zuko was still chuckling, and she turned her face when leaned forward. It didn't deter him, because he kissed her cheek, then her jaw, then her neck and she was starting to turn to jelly, because that was his tongue on her.

"You're not playing fair," she gasped, her hand having somehow made its way into his hair.

"I haven't told him because he would try to help me convince the council that you would be the ideal candidate for marriage. I'd rather meet with you like this than have my country turn against you."

It was only two years since the war ended, and a lot of resentment was just beginning to die down. Neither one of them thought the nobility, who was still pushing their daughters at him, would support their dating, let alone their marriage. And Zuko still desperately needed their support. Besides, secret meetings did have a certain…exciting appeal.

"I don't want to talk about politics. I'm on vacation, remember?" he was running his lips up and down her neck and it was making her tingle.

"I thought you just wanted to cuddle?" She was digging her nails into his shoulders, and if he didn't stop soon, they'd have to do more than cuddle.

"I do," he said against her neck before sliding them down under the furs so that she was lying on top of him. "Besides, despite what Gran says, she is not deaf, and you don't know the meaning of the word quiet."

"I do know how to be quiet." She was trying really hard, and so far, was doing a good job. He'd found the top of her underwear, and was running his finger along the inside of the band. She bit her lip and buried her face against him.

"Oh really?" he said as if she'd challenged him.

He started to roll her over, but she pushed against him, keeping him down. That also meant that she was straddling him now. He was looking up at her, calculating, and her heart was already fluttering. She closed her eyes and tiled her head back, her chest heaving. His hands were travelling up her legs from her knee to her waist, tracing the top of her underwear, then dipping down, down, down…

"Wait, that wasn't a challenge," she said, panting.

"Oh. Oh. Sorry."

He removed his hands entirely, and placed them behind his head. Spirits, she was breathing with her mouth open, panting like she'd just sprinted halfway around the South Pole. It wasn't that she didn't want him, because she did. She really, really did, and she could feel that he wanted her, too. She just doubted her ability to be quiet. She wiggled to readjust herself over that slight bulge, and Zuko took in a deep breath. Yes, two could play that game, but he growled more often than moaned, which wasn't exactly a bad thing. She ran her hands up and down his chest lightly digging her nails into him.

"I thought you said it…" His hands flew from under his head to her hips as she rolled against him. "I thought you said this wasn't a challenge?" He licked his lips.

"Why are you being so submissive?" If this was the Fire Nation, he'd be all aggressive and flipping her, and not giving her the chance to catch her breath. He'd be working her like his life depended on it.

"I'm on vacation."

She smiled, and he smiled, and she cupped his cheeks, running her thumb over his scar before leaning down to kiss him softly, one of those kisses that made him all goofy. When he gave her that goofy, love struck lopsided grin, she kissed him again, running her tongue along his closed lips until he opened his mouth and his tongue came to greet hers.

"Did you wonder why Gran put us at the two rooms all the way at the end of the hall, farthest away from her and Pakku?"

She was lying with her head on his shoulder, his arm on her back. He picked up her hand and intertwined their fingers.

"I figured all that out when she kept talking about how deaf and blind she was."

"And dad didn't have a problem with this?"

"As far as he knows, our beds are on two opposite ends of the hall with a vigilant Kanna between them."

He kissed the back of her hand, and they were quiet, and it was comfortable. She sighed contentedly. He ran his hand through her hair, pulling it away from her face.

"So, you wanna sleep, now?" he asked.

"Sure," Katara said, shrugging.

She scooted off him, and he rolled on his side, and she lay facing him, her head resting on his arm, his draped across her middle. He kissed her forehead, and she pulled him down for one last real kiss before sleep, and he pulled her closer to him, keeping her in that protectively warm circle.

"Goodnight. I love you, Zoozie."

"I love you, too, Kitten."

A/N: I've been writing a lot of dark stuff lately, so I wanted some fluffy Zutara to make it better. It was supposed to be fluff, but things started turning to smut, and I had to reel it back in. Gran ships Zutara, and because she does, Pakku has no choice, because I think she wears the pants in that relationship.