insertmeathere | Would You Marry Me?

Katara was more than happy to have Billy in her arms and yes, she actually did get that reference now (Billy wasn't the only one who could look things up, after all). When he touched her neck Katara trembled involuntarily: Billy may have been caught off guard, but he still did have a way of catching Katara off in his own way, especially taking advantage of her weaker spots.

She sniffed the water a moment, startled. "Hey, what's the smell?"

Billy couldn't help but smile to himself. She usually had the upper hand, but small victories were the sweetest. And really, they usually both 'won'.

Ah---he hadn't explained that, and he was sure aromas hadn't intentionally been introduced to areas like this for relaxation on her world. "It's the oil from the jasmine plant. Whenever something like this was done for me, certain scents would be added to create different atmospheres, usually soothing or simulating. A friend suggested jasmine's scent as warm and sweet."

And that was how he usually felt around her, so it was fitting. He took the opportunity to slip his arms around her neck and go in for a kiss. "Like you."

Katara would have seconded that. Billy, after all, was someone she didn't mind "beating" her, so long as it was equal between them.

Katara could have kissed him-well, actually, she was, right now. Jasmine, after all, had long been a smell she associated with Zuko's uncle Iroh, and by association her world. She did miss it every now and again, even with all of the work she and Billy did, but her own happiness was something she wanted for herself, and for Billy. The scent was mild, but pleasant.

She was going to try and tell him he was being corny but the words died in her lips: he meant it, after all, and all jokes aside, that meant everything.

"How did I ever get so lucky?" She exclaimed, reclining against him.

"We both did," he answered simply, rubbing her back with hands clearly engaged in holding someone precious. The original idea, after all, had been to ease her discomfort after a long and tiring day.

His hands moved in time with his breath, finding a starting rhythm that he hoped would help relax her.

And if she could have, she would have been purring in Billy's grip, but instead relaxed against him. She was more than relaxed now that she was home with him and showed him so by wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thank you so much Billy. Not that I need a reason to say I love you, but you always manage to give me new ones everyday."

Those words still warmed his heart every time he heard them. Emboldened, he slid his hands to rest comfortably and then---picked her up and spun her around, if she didn't mind.

"Anything for my love," he whispered seriously, proceeding with the corniness without a care in the world.

"Well...except maybe eating fish, unless you were in trouble and eating it would save you," he ended with a slightly awkward chuckle.

Katara squealed when she was picked up: probably the only time she'd ever do it in front of anyone but was happy to express how he made her feel. Billy had gotten more spontaneous: they really had influenced each other.

She heard the words and held him close a moment smiling. "And anything for you Billy. But really, fish isn't that bad! It's very good for you and honestly, no one says no to crab..."

And she goes on about fish maybe a moment longer, since this was one of Katara's quirks. Way to kill the moment Katara.

He smiled, shaking his head. "It's an old phobia. I can't believe I forgot to tell you! I'm glad we met after I was largely cured of it, because I feared the water for the longest time."

Billy paused, running his hands up and down her arms for a moment before remembering that he hadn't actually mentioned his fear. "After I was bitten by a piranha as a child, I developed ichthyophobia---fear of fish. I couldn't stand to smell them, be near them, or eat them. Then I was forced to fight a fish monster with my normal fears amplified by magic, and that was mostly the end of it."

Yup, tangent officially pursued.

Well now someone definitely felt foolish. There was no way that she could have known that, but it was still a little embarrassing to say something that meant something completely different to Billy. She looked down sheepishly, but gave him a lopsided grin.

"Sorry...didn't know that fish had attacked you. Believe me, we have fish in my world that can do the same thing: that serpent comes to mind and I actually have avoided eating Unagi for awhile because we met a few ferocious ones on the island of Kiyoshi. I'll try to be more observant next time."

In the meantime, have a Katara snuggling next to you, marinating in the gift for both of them. "Y'know, I miss you every time at work. I don't say it, just because I don't want to sound clingy, but its true."

Edited 2010-09-16 02:27 (UTC)

"It's all right! I can't expect you to know something that I've never mentioned. But thank you for looking out for me."

Billy was quite content to make himself at home next to her, slipping a hand up to her hair and stroking it reverently. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, it's often said, but maybe a little less of it would be perfect."

Thoughtful for a moment, he uses his other hand to briefly squeeze hers. "Life isn't perfect, but that simply means we have to cherish what we're given, right?" Oh, he definitely intends to cherish Katara some more.

"I always will!" Katara said brightly. "That's something I did back then on the ship, and it looks like nothings changed there. I think that call that one of life's little joys...if I have that phrased right."

She knew she did: it was something that Zuko's uncle Iroh would say, and Katara had come to think of him as a very wise man, more so when he was helped along with her own master. Being beside Billy, actually enjoying life and not being at war with something all the time, was a joy that Katara could never have imagined.

She squeezed back, then brought her hands to his shoulders, wrapping them around and looking long into his eyes. "Like this?" She asked softly.

"Affirmative," he confirmed, proud that they'd learned so much from each other.

His hands slid to the dip in her back then, holding her close. Pure adoration shone in his eyes when they made contact with hers. "Yeah, like that. I share my love while I can, because it's not terribly easy to find."

Once upon a time, he thought he'd never have the chance to feel this.

She really loved it when he said that. He said it every once and awhile, and though she thought it might wear on her, it never did.

"Then I enjoy finding it every single time," Katara said and kissed his neck very softly before pulling him closer and kissing him slowly. She remembered the irony of maintaining to Billy that he would eventually find someone, he would just have to be patient.

As it would turn out, she would be the person that would see all these good things in Billy and love him for it.

Billy found himself shivering in her arms. As she knew well, they both had weak spots on the neck (which made sense biologically, he thought, because a blow to that area would likely kill a person).

Sometimes he'd do that, think about why something felt good, but his thoughts never stayed focused on that for long. His real mission here was to love his wife wholeheartedly, so he deepened the kiss with quiet intensity while curling a leg around hers.

Possessive much?

Katara caressed Billy, holding him closer. She wasn't one to think about blows in the area (though she certainly knew they could kill) as much as she was thinking of how to make her husband feel her love of him through her actions. Katara had learned, before the departure of her Bene Gesserit teacher, that the body itself was a map, and yielded a response depending on location and how you touched. A movement could kill, and another could make her partner feel fantastic.

Not that Katara was going to be in seductive mode now, that could wait. Right now she was enjoying being here in this moment, feeling Billy's response to her kiss, and when he kissed back and his leg locked around hers, she sighed quietly, her arms around his neck.

Possessiveness wasn't always a bad thing.

At times like these, he liked to finish by drawing back and resting his forehead against hers---so he did it, of course. It reinforced for him that there was nothing that mattered but each other, and that her eyes were beautiful.

Honestly, he was so content that he could melt into the water in the next moment and be satisfied as long as she was there.

In all this time, his control over the old emotional projection technique had become much stronger. His hands radiated love just then, wrapping around her with all the warmth of their bond in flourishes of pink light.

"You know? If I had to evaluate how well we're spending our time in the given constraints, I'd have to pass us with flying colors. My younger self, of course, would be horrified by all the work that remains undone."

Not that he didn't still think about that, but this indescribable experience had mellowed him out considerably.

She was just as willing to let the world go by, forgo her lesson plan until later if it meant spending time with the person she cared about most. She loved the way he stared into her eyes, basking in the glow of his feelings with her. She returned the gaze, her own filled with a longing and tenderness she thought she'd never get to show to anyone.

Katara by now had been able to get herself in a meditative state that channeled her chi as well as her emotions: a light blue met Billy's pink, and for a moment the two were almost translucent, shimmering like a precious jewel.

"Believe me, it takes a lot of restrain my no-nonsense self Billy. But even I can admit to playing hooky, away from all of the things I have to do, if it means spending more time here. Of course now that you've built this, you know its going to be a little harder for us, don't you?"

Yes, that was true enough. He could envision plenty of happy hours spent here in the future.

"I do, Katara, but somehow I think we're strong enough to meet the challenge." That was just another reason he loved her: they got things done, and at the end of the day they could have each other as they pleased.

For this warm and simple feeling, he'd do almost anything. It intoxicated him, prompting whispered statements like: "I love you more than I can accurately describe."

Katara was already making plans on what would happen in this room: it was amazing, and with all of the extra hours she put in to training, this was definitely a godsend.

"I guess I'm going to have to agree," Katara said, putting on a mock pouty face. "And this was going to be my big chance to finally get that kink out of my left shoulder."

Hint hint.

Katara had to laugh at this though: only Billy would have made it sound like that, and for this reason, she now got in back of him. "For making me laugh Billy, I think I owe YOU the back rub. Give me a sec to settle in back of you."

She took her time, and once she was in position started to massage her husband's shoulders. "I love you too, Billy. Don't forget that."

"I didn't say I wouldn't---" he started, he'd been planning on that soon enough. Billy was lucky enough to have had friends who taught him how to massage effectively.

But before he could say anything more, Katara was already working their magic on him. He let out a happy sigh, twisted muscles giving way under her hands. He loved her.

"Trust me, love, I won't. And it's your turn whenever you're ready. I can't let that kink in your shoulder go unattended."

He wouldn't be outdone, oh no. Not when the kink in his was dispersing with the good sort of pain. It would be cruel and unloving not to share.

Katara laughed lightly, continuing to knead the muscle. "Don't worry about it Billy. Let me just take care of you fora minute, okay? You do so many good things, you have to give me a chance to catch up!"

When she done after seven minutes, she snuggled against him, taking a moment to breathe in his scent, closing her eyes. She opened them then and switched places with Billy, submersing herself in the hot water a moment before rising again, against her husband.

"NOW you can go."

Pure bliss. Feeling the tolls of daily stress evaporate was simply incredible, and of course he couldn't complain about her cuddling close. She's successfully rendered him putty in her hands---ah well, it was her turn now.

"All right. I'll see what I can do." Starting with broad and slow strokes, he began to work his way up and down her back. The time spent in the warm water had made that job considerably easier. When that was done, he started to disrupt the knots with gentle thumbs and steady fingers. Over a few minutes, the patient and tender attention started to pay off.

"Is that all right?"

Katara was just as easily susceptible to stress evaporating off of her, and here it was: she swayed a little, allowing that feeling to course through her, and like Billy had emitted that pink light to come from him, this moment brought a light yellow all around her.

"You can do a lot more than you give yourself credit for," Katara said, slackening even while maintaining that faint glow. "And I'll keep saying it, and even though you still haven't understood it yet, you'll get one day: you're perfect to me. Thanks for this."

She leaned back, then turned her head and kissed Billy tenderly.

That definitely brought out another glow. It was a wonderful reward to see her so relaxed and happy, and he sure as heck didn't mind kissing either. His lips were probably swollen by now, come to think of it.

Slipping one arm around her waist, he lifted the other arm and molded his hand against her cheek, rubbing a temple with his fingers. "I never expected that my perfect person would be you, Katara, but I've never been happier to be wrong."

"You don't have to repeat that," Katara said in a blissful voice, allowing herself to drape over Billy for just a moment. She deepened the kiss, her hands rolling to his hips, and she gave him a smile.

"Life is pretty surprising," Katara replied, and she gave him another kiss. "Let's go upstairs: I think we can come up with another excuse to have to come back here in a few hours."

She said it lightly enough, but left it open enough for Billy to get the message.

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morphitudinous - 2010-09-17 01:44 (UTC) - Expand