Title: "A First Time for Everything"

Author: ayziks

Rating: T – Kataang romance

Summary: This story concentrates on the morning after Aang and Katara's wedding when they wake up from the first time together.

...

The visiting dignitary suite in Zuko's Summer Palace was silent and dark, with the drapes drawn closed. There had been a lot of happy sounds coming from that room the night before. The gradually growing predawn glow on the horizon brought some illumination, filtered by the drapes, on two sleeping figures in the enormous ornate bed.

The return of the sun was inexorable however, and finally, when the huge orange globe peeked over the horizon, the one gap in the drapes let a tiny sliver of dawn's light flash across the room.

As the sun rose, the slice of light moved slowly, but steadily, until it shone in the eyes of the male sleeping figure. The sudden brightness caused the young man to scrunch his face in discomfort, and awakened him.

Disoriented only for a moment, he shielded his brow from the bright shaft of sunshine and opened his eyes, directing them with a loving smile toward his still-sleeping partner.

The ray of sunshine moved across her beautiful body, playing games with her exposed curves as it highlighted every inch of her dark skin that the young man so admired. It was like the sunlight adored her too, a secret only the sun and he could share.

The sliver played games with her long, wavy, dark brown hair, accenting its healthy sheen. He stroked her hair gently, careful to not disturb her sleeping. He heard her rhythmic soft breathing, and felt her chest rise and fall against his, feeling every heartbeat of hers synchronized with his. Her softness against him was breathtaking.

The light finally inched across their bed from him to her, and the brightness in her face awakened her in the same manner as her mate. She was briefly startled, but instantly looked into the eyes of the young man who held her with an arm firmly wrapped around her since their last waking moment the night before.

The young man whispered, "Good morning, Katara…"

"Mmmm. 'Morning Aang," she cooed, and snuggled deeper against him, better fitting the curve of their bodies. They were quiet, but they were remembering the events of their wedding the day before.

"It was a special night, Aang," sighed Katara.

"Um, hmm," he reflected on every second of every move of their first night together, alone after all the day's marriage festivities.

"Was it worth the wait?" she asked.

"What do you think?" grinned Aang.

They snickered knowingly.

"I know how to make the morning just as special," observed Aang.

"And how would that be?" lilted Katara, playing with his bare chest and fully expecting a cozy repeat of the activities of the night before.

But instead, he threw off the covers and got up quickly, leaving the beautiful young woman tangled in the covers, and went to the window. He grabbed the drapes and pulled them wide apart. The day's full sunlight flooded into their room.

Katara squinted as she viewed the full expanse of Aang's muscled body, content that she alone of all the women in the world knew how every inch of his blue Master's tattoos snaked and turned and merged with the other arrowed tattoos of his arms and legs. For a moment, she imagined that every other air bending Master's spiritual partner had felt the same way over the ages, and then realized that she was a spiritual partner herself. She smiled with great satisfaction. Some day Aang wouldn't be the last air bender. Because of her.

Still adjusting to the sudden brightness in the room, Katara asked, "Aang, what on earth do you have in mind, now?"

Aang stood thoughtfully, "I think that this is a marvelous morning to go for our first flight as husband and wife, don't you?"

It only took a second for her to decide, "Yes! Let's! Right after breakfast."

Aang grinned, "No, Katara. Right now. No one is awake yet."

"Right now? Well, we have to wear something, Aang. The others will see!" worried Katara.

"Sure. Put this on," ordered Aang with a sly grin.

He tossed her a sheer blue short nightie top that had been a gift - but never worn last night in their haste - and he pulled on some shorts.

She eyed it with some trepidation, knowing how revealing it was, but humored him, "Well OK, but just this once."

He walked out on the balcony and clutched his glider, and popped it open. He beckoned her with an open arm and a smile, as he always did when they flew together.

"Ready, wife?"

"Ready, husband!"

It felt good to them to utter those words to each other, and they smiled and kissed before the launch. They leaped from the balcony into the cool morning sky. Soon, well below them was the expanse of the Fire Nation Summer Palace. The tents and remains of the wedding reception could be seen everywhere across the complex. Guests from all over whole world had been there to celebrate their union.

"I don't know how you could make this first flight together as a married couple any more special," whispered a very happy Katara, beaming a smile at her mate.

Aang looked at his brand new bride mischievously, and whispered, "I do."

He suddenly flipped the glider over on its back, throwing her on top of him in the inverted flight. They were face to face, lips a fraction of an inch apart, and their hearts raced.

She figured out instantly what he wanted.

"Aang, no. Not here."

Aang encouraged her, "Everyone is asleep…haven't you ever wondered what it might be like?"

"No. Not for a minute," she scolded.

Aang explained his reasons, "We're safe. We're far up. No one will see. Other Air Nomad couples did this."

She blinked with that never-recorded fact, but she did not doubt him for an instant that is was true.

"I don't know, Aang…"

"Katara, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Back in our bedroom suite, Aang," she chided. But they laughed.

"It's OK," he encouraged as she kept her uncertain look.

He started to tickle her.

Katara resisted, "Aang, no…"

He intensified the tickling without causing her to let go.

"Aang, stop."

He tugged at her nightie.

"Aang don't do that. I'm warning you," she complained half-heartedly with a grin. She knew this was a losing battle.

"An idle threat, Katara," teased Aang.

"Stop, Aang! I'm a Master water bender. I can fight back," retorted Katara in mock defiance. She was toying with him now, making him work for what he wanted. Now, she did too.

Despite her feigned protestations, Aang finally achieved his goal. Perhaps too well.

"Aaaaaang!" Katara blushed as she watched in horror as her blue nightie wafted in the winds, falling slowly to the beach below.

"I love it when you scream my name…" teased Aang.

Katara narrowed her eyes, "I'm gonna kill you, Air Bender!"

"You wouldn't be the first Master bender to try," challenged Aang.

Her remaining resistance grew silent as their lips came together.

Breathlessly she whispered, "Who's flying this thing while we're…"

"Me…"

Katara decided to give Aang some of his own medicine, "Then you aren't giving me all the attention I deserve, Mister!"

She planted an impressive kiss on Aang that spun his head. The glider lurched.

But their laughing and teasing carried far below to a group of sleeping friends, gathered around a long-dead campfire, strewn with empty sake bottles and stale, half-eaten food. They had promised to stay awake the entire night and had kept together on purpose, vowing not to pull any pranks on Aang and Katara's first night together. They almost broke that promise, but Suki had threatened everyone, so they obeyed her. Sokka surveyed the damage of his friends asleep on the beach. Most everyone was slumbering in their mate's lap or by their side, but Zuko and Mai were in an advanced stage of undress with their legs and arms appearing from underneath a blanket not covering them well at all.

Sokka shifted his sight away quickly from Zuko and Mai. It was too much for his sensibilities in the early morning. He strained his eyes skyward, and observed quietly, "Now what?"

Suki was still asleep, leaning against him, but Toph stirred, "Wha - -what's happening Sokka?"

"It's them. Again…"

"What now? I can't feel them like last night."

Toph and Sokka smirked, remembering her describe every move she sensed them making to the guffawing Gaang, who were amused at the innocence of their 'first timer' friends. Even though it was his sister, a couple of bottles of sake had loosened Sokka with the rest of them, and he laughed and joked right alongside the others.

"I know why you can't," grinned Sokka.

"Why?" asked an annoyed Toph.

"They are flying," he smirked.

"Oh dear. Another 'oogie' moment, I assume?" fretted Toph.

"I'm not sure yet."

At that exact moment, Katara's nightie finished its meandering flight to the ground. The sheer lingerie plopped on the sand between Toph and Sokka. Sokka puzzled for a moment, but then realized it was Suki's bachelorette party gift to Katara for her wedding night. Sokka's mouth flew open with a start, and his eyes grew big around as saucers. He looked up at the glider, soaring extremely erratically in the clear blue skies above them. He finally realized what he saw, and quickly looked away.

"What was that?" Toph cocked her head.

"The worst oogie moment ever," complained Sokka.

Toph, guessing correctly, laughed softly to not wake the others, reached out and picked up Katara's nightie, stuffed it roughly into her outfit's pocket, and laid back down on the sand into The Duke's lap.

"Wake me when they've landed, Sokka. Then we'll see what they'll do to get this back…" she stated with great satisfaction.

"I can hardly wait, Toph," Sokka answered with a devious grin.

...

An hour later, for the first time in her life, Toph was truly sorry she could not see the spectacle of the flustered and beat-red Katara hiding behind Aang's glider in front of the entire Gaang as she begged for her nightie back.