Katara, Suki, and Ty Lee were huddled together in the South Pole's bending arena watching the boys train. It had started as a sparring match between Zuko and Sokka, but then Aang insisted that his staff was a weapon, too, and he could beat both of them. At some point, the shirts had come off, and shortly after, Katara had ceased paying attention to everyone else. She was too busy watching her fiancé, the way his muscles in his arm flexed when he moved, his signature confident smirk firmly in place as he swung his right dao.

Pure strength was evident in his blow, and Katara took a deep breath, thinking of the way it felt to be held by him, to know that he could support her weight so effortlessly. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but little tendrils stuck to his forehead. The girls were close enough that Katara could see the sweat as it rolled down his chest and his back, and she licked her lips, gripping the edge of the rail that separated the arena from the seating. Zuko and Sokka were double-teaming Aang, limiting his movement, and things weren't boding well for the young monk. Zuko ducked under Aang's staff, dropping down low, spinning gracefully to position his shoulder toward Aang. He exhaled a gust of steam as he plowed his shoulder into Aang's middle, sending him back into Sokka, who flipped him on his back.

Beside her, Ty Lee and Suki were cheering, but Katara squirmed in her seat. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Life in the Fire Nation had been hectic since their engagement last year, and Katara felt like she and Zuko were drifting apart already. They hardly had time for each other anymore; council meetings, wedding planning, and business permits took up too much of their time. Sure, they cuddled at night, but that cuddling was followed by sleep. Nothing more.

"That was fantastic!" Ty Lee said, standing up and clapping.

Zuko sauntered over Katara, still smirking, still shirtless, still covered in sweat. Her eyes roamed over him, taking him in, recalling nights gone by when she was the one to make him sweat like that. Katara bit her lip, regretting the decision to stay with her father rather than Gran and Pakku. When Zuko leaned toward her, Katara met him halfway, not kissing him as fully as she would like, too afraid that she wouldn't be able to stop. Her chest was heaving, and she hoped that her thick parka hid it from the others.

Suki had chosen to meet Sokka in the ring, and she had her arms thrown around his neck, kissing him passionately.

Ty Lee giggled. "They're so cute together."

They were in the South for a week for Suki and Sokka's wedding. Even though Sokka had every intention of putting them to work, this was to be Katara and Zuko's little vacation. It was probably the only thing approaching a vacation they would have for years to come.

"Cold?" Zuko asked, nodding toward her parka. She was the only one still wearing her coat.

Steam was curling off Zuko's body in the cool air, and Katara reached out to those little whisps, remembering the way it felt when he was holding her, steaming them both as he carried her out of the bath more than a year ago. Her skin had been so warm, and she could feel the individual droplets of water as they peeled away from her body, leaving her hypersensitive. Katara took another deep breath and swallowed hard.

"A little," she said, turning away from Zuko to pick up his towel.

She didn't let her eyes meet his as he grabbed her by the waist to lift her over the low railing. For brief moments, he held her securely off the ground, and Katara resisted the urge to wrap her legs around him, to kiss him and feel his tongue against hers, to roll her hips against his. Another deep breath, and her feet were firmly on the ground again, and she quickly began wiping the sweat away, trying to ignore just how firm he was, how sculpted, how soft his skin as her bare hands glided over his chest and his abs.

Another deep breath, and Katara turned her back to Zuko and his distracting body so she could get his shirt and parka off the bench. Just as she bent over to pick up the clothing, she felt him pressed against her, his hands on either side of the railing, trapping her.

"What's really wrong?" Zuko asked softly as she leaned back against him.

"Nothing…"

Her mouth was too dry, and she was finally feeling the heat, although that might have had something to do with Zuko. There was too much heat in her body, and it was pooling in places it had no business pooling just yet. They wouldn't be alone for quite some time, and even when they would be alone, it would be late at night, and they'd probably both be tired. If that wasn't enough, her father's room was just the other side of theirs.

"Why won't you look at me?"

Katara tried to shrug, but Zuko was wrapping his arms around her waist, his mouth by her ear, making every nerve in her body feel alive, causing every hair to stand on end. She tried to swallow.

"I'm…I'm not avoiding you. If I was avoiding you, I'd be trying to get away right now. But I'm not."

His chest vibrated behind her as he laughed. "That's true."

Katara held her breath when he kissed her neck, biting her lip, unable to stop that little whimper. Zuko made a surprised noise, then kissed her again, and Katara pressed herself back against him a little more, possibly grinding against him just a little. She grabbed his arms roughly, panting, needing everything or nothing and knowing she couldn't have everything at that moment, choosing instead to push away. She handed his shirt to him, and obediently, Zuko put on his shirt, then his parka, keeping a bit of distance between them.

.O.

"Are you alright, Katara?" Suki paused in her vegetable chopping to give Katara a meaningful look.

Outside, Sokka and Zuko were continuing their years long debate about which was better, one sword or two. Sokka was waving away some point that Zuko made, which caused the older boy to retaliate with a playful shove. Sokka picked up a handful of snow and rubbed it in Zuko's face. Then there was an all out snow fight, with Zuko tackling Sokka, and much rolling around and shoving snow down the backs of parkas.

"I swear," Suki said, putting her hands on her hips, "sometimes you wouldn't even know they're in their twenties. You'd think they're still fifteen."

All Katara saw was Zuko's smile and the way he moved, dodging a snowball. Somehow, both boys went down, and Sokka was holding Zuko's face down in the snow, laughing triumphantly, but in a move Katara knew too well, Zuko threw all his weight to one side, knocking Sokka off balance. He'd done that so many times during their sparring matches. He would pin her arms down, sometimes lacing their fingers together as he smirked, and Katara knew he was feeling playful whenever he positioned himself between her legs, rather than using his to pin hers down. Generally, by that point, his shirt would have come off, and he'd lean down and kiss her, his tongue caressing hers, her hand roaming over his back, feeling his muscles ripple as he moved against her.

"What are you thinking about?" Suki asked, a sly smile on her face.

Katara blushed, and before she could answer, Ursa came in, Hakoda, Iroh, and Jun in tow.

"Something smells delicious," Iroh said, coming over to inspect the pot on the stove.

Katara busied herself chopping the remaining vegetables, doing her best to school her mind into more appropriate thoughts. As she'd predicted, she and Zuko didn't have a moment alone that day. In fact, they'd hardly spent any time together at all. Sokka demanded Zuko's presence as he went about the last of his shopping. Zuko grumbled a bit, but he'd complied, leaving Katara with the girls while Sokka and Zuko had their manly shopping trip. Now, she'd have to sit through a lengthy dinner next to Zuko and think about all the ways she wasn't supposed to touch him.

"Aah!"

All eyes were on Katara as she winced, shaking her hand. It'd been ages since she nicked herself with a knife.

"I'm fine," she said, thoroughly ignoring Suki, who was trying to get her attention. "I'll just heal it."

"I'm starving," Toph announced, having Ty Lee lead her into the kitchen. "You two done cooking yet?"

And so, everyone else came out of nowhere, summoned by the dinner bell that was Toph's loud proclamation. Hoping to escape the increasing chatter for a bit, Katara grabbed two towels and met Sokka and Zuko at the front door. They were still laughing and shoving each other.

"Dinner's ready," Katara said, focusing on her brother.

"So we heard." Sokka accepted his towel and began drying himself off as he headed for the kitchen.

"You ready to tell me what's been bothering you?" Zuko asked, running the towel over his face.

As if he didn't know. Katara rolled her eyes and was about to head back into the kitchen when Zuko grabbed her arm, spinning her and pinning her against the wall. Katara melted into him almost immediately, her hands grabbing his hips, pulling them flush against hers as she opened her mouth to him. She gave in, stealing this brief moment before someone came to interrupt them, running her tongue along his, feeling him harden a little more in response to a thrust of her hips. His hands were on her bottom, squeezing, as her hands slipped under his shirt, caressing his chest, and then his back.

"That doesn't count as dinner," Hakoda said. He pointed into the kitchen where the rest of their family was waiting. "Now."

Katara tried to shrink back behind Zuko, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the kitchen, Hakoda following close behind them.

.O.

Katara went to bed early. An hour and a half later, Zuko came to join her.

"What took you so long?" she asked, already removing his shirt.

Zuko grabbed her hands, pulled them away from her clothing. "Wait, we can't. Your dad's room—"

"I will die if something doesn't happen tonight."

Zuko smirked, dancing out of her reach when she came toward him. They moved like this, coming close, then finding distance between themselves, and Zuko smirked the whole time. Katara was past the point where this was a joke.

"I want alone time, Zuko, preferably while we're both conscious," Katara said forcefully. "I want our intimacy back. I want you."

She stalked across the bed to where he was, and obediently, Zuko sat down. Hiking up her nightgown, Katara straddled him, one hand running through his hair, encouraging him to kiss her neck. He obliged with little kisses along her jaw and behind her ear, and Katara rolled her hips against him. Zuko moaned against her neck, his teeth grazing her skin, and Katara knew he missed this just as much as she did. Their time always belonged to someone else, now. Tonight would be theirs.

Katara swirled her hips, and Zuko stiffened in response, his hands sliding up her nightgown, squeezing her bottom as he pressed her down on that growing bulge. He threw his head back, moaning as he ground against her, his fingers hooked under the waist of her underwear before realizing this was very different.

"Wait—"

"I knew you needed this as much as I did."

Zuko's grip on her tightened as his thrusts became more insistent, but always hovering on the side of restraint. It wasn't enough for Katara. She needed more. There was too much clothing between them, even if she could feel him, completely hard, rubbing against her.

"You don't know how to be quiet," Zuko said, rubbing his thumbs over her covered nipples.

Katara flicked her hips in two sharp movements, making Zuko moan and bite his lip.

"Tonight, I don't care."

Abruptly, Katara stood, lifting the straps of her nightgown and letting it fall to the floor. Zuko's eyes widened.

"Ty Lee and I went shopping before we left the Fire Nation."

She stepped back so Zuko could see her new underwear in all its pink lacy glory. The fabric was soft and sheer, upper wrappings clearly more for show than support, and Katara ran her hands over her breasts, squeezing and massaging, pinching her nipples, loving the way the lace rubbed against her, and trailing her hands lower, across her stomach, to the top of her lace panties. Zuko watched her greedily, licking his lips, the corner of his mouth pulled up in a delighted smirk. Katara turned around so Zuko could see the back; this was as far from long underwear as she could possibly get, the lace not even covering all of her butt. She arched her back, looking over her shoulder to see Zuko's reaction.

Zuko stood and pressed himself firmly into her backside, his hands sliding up her stomach to cup her breasts, and he kissed her neck, his tongue flicking along her pulse.

"You'll have to be quiet," he said, dragging his lips along her neck, causing her to arch back against him.

His hand slid below her waistband, and Katara braced herself against the wall, gasping as he slid a finger inside her, grinding his hips into her, and something uncoiled quickly, making her legs shake as Zuko added a second finger, curling them inside her to hit the right spots. Katara threw her head back against Zuko's shoulder and swallowed her moans as best she could, moving her hips to push down on his fingers as he pushed up into her, but it still wasn't enough.

"What's the matter?" Zuko asked, as she pulled his fingers out of her.

Any further questioning was silenced as she slipped his fingers in her mouth, sucking and licking them, swirling her tongue and feeling Zuko's temperature rise as his hand gripped her hip tighter, his chest heaving behind her.

"Fuck. Katara, it's not enough."

Those were just the words she'd been waiting to hear, because she'd been feeling that way all day long. Nothing was ever enough, no touch, no kiss, no closeness could satisfy this deep, primal need, and who tore at whose clothes didn't matter because they were on the bed, she on her back and him hovering over her. Katara didn't even care that he teased her, rubbing his tip along her slit; it was like a whispered promise before he slid into her, and he did so, slowly, stifling his own moans as much as he could, his forehead pressed against hers. They were gasping, just from this little touch, and there was noise in the hallway. The others were going to bed, passing by their door as Zuko started to move in and out of her, his lips grazing hers, one hand caressing her thigh.

He picked up his pace, his thrusts becoming more powerful, his back flexing beneath her hand, and they used kisses to quiet pleasurable noises. Katara could feel him moving deep inside her, and she arched her back, feeling her muscles tighten, threatening to pull him in and never let go. The more she tightened, the harder he thrust, and Katara let out a deep breathy moan, surprised that sound even came out of her.

"That's so sexy," Zuko said, curling his tongue against her nipple. "Do it again."

"Make me."

Katara smirked when Zuko's eyes flicked up to her, their gold dark with lust and hunger and that same primal need. Zuko grazed his teeth over her nipple, sucking harder as his thrusts picked up speed, slamming into her with delicious force, and the heat built up in the pit of her stomach, that deep breathy moan threatening to escape as Hakoda and Sokka's voices carried into their room, planning what needed to be done the next day. Katara twined her hand in Zuko's hair, her grip like a vice, and the bed creaked beneath them as a squeal was swallowed by Zuko's mouth on hers, tasting like hot embers, her eyes rolling back in her head, her toes curling, and her heart threatening to stop.

Zuko slowed his pace only marginally, their foreheads touching and their breath mingling as his arms shook. His breath was erratic, little puffs of steam, and Katara's eyes widened in surprise because she could feel him getting hotter inside her, and he had to swallow another of her moans as this new, hot sensation pushed her over the edge. A true orgasm took over her body, making her muscles twitch and convulse, and she grabbed Zuko's hips because she didn't want him to stop just yet, just keep going a little longer. She wanted to feel his heat mount until his body released it. She wanted to feel him inside her longer, and as her muscles clenched around him, he released, too, and Katara felt his warmth seep into every part of her being as his arms gave out, and he collapsed on top of her.

Finally sated, Katara smiled sleepily as Zuko maneuvered the thick covers over them. Katara could still feel him trembling as he snaked his arm around her waist, kissing her shoulder.

"I missed you, you know," he said.

Katara snuggled against him even more. "I've missed you, too."

Yeah, this is what I'm doing rather than working on my Aangzula fic :/ I am bad. But smut! Smut is good! Also, this is more like a collection of one shots rather than a chaptered story, so each 'chapter' can stand on its own.