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Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe was many things.

She was the last waterbender born in the South Pole before the end of the Hundred Year War, for starters.

At the young age of fourteen she had already earned the rank of waterbending master, easily besting her peers and holding her own against benders more than twice her age. Katara had been the Avatar's waterbending teacher, then gone on to save him and their group of friends countless times.

The night Ba Sing Se fell, she miraculously managed to bring the last airbender back to life after a well-aimed lightning strike to the back.

After the war ended, the pair of them had even dated for a few years, and during that time she was given a new title - the Avatar's girl.

Which she might not have minded so much, except that all of her past accomplishments were swept under the rug and overlooked in the process.

Before she was even sixteen, she had traveled the world and done countless amazing things, including but not limited to freeing earthbenders from a prison rig, defeating the monstrous serpent who lived in the lakes outside of Ba Sing Se, stopping rain as it fell from the heavens, and healing a sick Fire Nation village on the verge of collapse.

And on the day of Sozin’s Comet, she helped her unlikely friend and ally the Fire Prince secure his title and birthright by bringing him back from the brink of death as well, allowing him to ascend the throne.

So once her seventeenth birthday rolled around and she found herself restless, tired of constantly being overlooked and ignored in favor of her boyfriend, Katara decided to end things with Aang.

To his credit, he took the news of their breakup well enough, admitting that he too had thought they had been growing apart. Even though he was heartbroken, he at least was able to muster up a weak smile and sincerely wish her the best.

Since then, she decided to travel the world, sometimes with her other friends, sometimes by herself.

She threw herself into various projects, serving as an ambassador, healer, and advocate for peace over the last few years, meeting countless new friends and faces in her journeys.

In short, it would be far easier to list all of the things she hadn’t accomplished already in her twenty-one years.

Katara was many things, but a coward she most certainly was not.

Or at least, that’s what she thought until the day she returned to the Fire Nation after a three-year absence.

She reunited with her dear friend the Fire Lord and had the privilege of meeting his loyal ten-ton companion, a young dragon by the name of Druk.

Druk landed before them on the palace courtyard with a boom, sending heavy reverberations rumbling through the tiles that made her body tremble instinctively.

The gargantuan beast lowered his head to greet his master first, chuffing happily upon receiving head scratches and pleased words from the Fire Lord, who fawned over him shamelessly like he was some giant baby.

Then Druk turned his focus towards her, and suddenly she was aware of every single beat of her heart as clouds of steam and smoke floated down around her.

“He, um, knows that I’m friendly right?” she found herself stammering out.

She mentally kicked herself for how pathetic she sounded as those brilliant red and gold eyes examined her, sniffing at her hair curiously.  

Not that she had an inflated ego or anything, but she was far too powerful a bender, far too fearless to be acting this terrified around her friend’s loyal steed.

After all, hadn’t she earned her title of Katara the Brave when she was just fourteen?

To be fair, though, this was a dragon who she’d only just met, one she knew from secondhand accounts who was fiercely protective and loyally devoted to his master.

Beside her, Zuko chuckled.

Clad in a simple, comfortable outfit with his long hair pulled back in topknot, he resembled the shy, soft-spoken man she was more familiar with, not the stern and powerful Fire Lord the rest of the world knew him as.

Not that he didn’t cut an impressive, dashing figure wearing his ornate robes and crown, of course.

But now he was completely at ease, able to let his guard down around her. That was perfectly normal when you were with one of your oldest and dearest friends, after all.  

This was more like the Zuko she knew, the loyal friend who'd always had her back, even when he was teasing her mercilessly.

“What, you’re not actually afraid are you?” he asked, reaching out to scratch beneath the dragon’s chin, earning him a happy-sounding rumble. “Never thought I’d see the day the mighty Master Katara was scared of anything.”

She was tempted to swat at his arm, except she wondered at the last second if that was wise, considering his massive dragon was standing mere feet away and might interpret that as an act of aggression.

All it would take would be one gulp and then it’d be goodbye, Katara.

Instead, she huffed as she glared up at her friend – who was just that, she reminded herself, nothing more.

Even though she sometimes wondered if he felt the same way she did…

“I’m not scared,” she lied, which he figured out immediately based on that damned smirk he now wore on his face. “But this is a dragon, Zuko. He could easily swallow me whole!”

“Druk is a gentle giant,” the Fire Lord countered. “Besides, technically so could Appa, and you’re not scared of him.”

“That’s because air bison don’t eat people or even meat, for that matter.”

“Yeah? Tell that to your dumbass brother, who freaked out that one time when he thought that Momo got eaten.”

This time she actually did swat at his arm, the pair of them sharing a friendly laugh, although she froze up when she realized what she’d done.

Fortunately, Druk merely tilted his head down at her, exhaling curling wisps of smoke.

“He’s not going to think I attacked you just now, is he?” she whispered.

Zuko snorted loudly, and she got the impression he was trying his hardest not to laugh at her.

“No, he won’t attack you Katara, I swear on my life. He’s pretty intelligent and knows that I like you, so he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

A shiver ran down her spine hearing that last sentence, though she quickly chased that line of thinking away from her mind.

He meant that he liked her as a friend, nothing more, she reminded herself.

Surely she’d have picked up on anything by now if Zuko actually returned her stupid little crush, right?

… right?

It’s not like she hadn’t dropped a few hints here and there since her arrival at the palace yesterday morning, after all.

There were only so many times she could let her touches linger a little too long whenever she reached out pat his shoulder or hugged him, not to mention finding any excuse she could to be beside him.

Still, he was the Fire Lord, not the awkward sixteen-year-old boy she befriended seven years ago.

It’s not like she could go around acting openly flirtatious in front of his advisors and palace staff, especially now that they were both grown adults.

He was the ruler of an entire nation; she was renowned worldwide for her mastery of waterbending and as an advocate for lifting up the downtrodden.

She was far too old to be shamelessly flirting like a teenage girl anymore.

Then again, it had been more than three years since they’d last seen each other, so could you blame her for wanting to make up for lost time?

It was only after his relationship with Mai had ended amicably enough some months ago – for good this time, they’d both insisted – that Katara had been brave enough to be around Zuko again.

Leave it to her to realize she had developed feelings for someone right before they reconnected with their ex.

She’d missed several major events in the interim, namely Zuko receiving and hatching a dragon egg gifted to him by Ran and Shaw.

Druk had already gone through an impressive growth spurt in his few years of life, and according to Zuko, he was supposed to grow even bigger.

There was so much she’d lost out on by carefully avoiding her longtime friend, lest her heart shatter seeing him smiling happily with Mai on his arm.

Yet seeing him standing there at the harbor, impatiently waiting to greet her the second her ship docked…

It was like no time had passed at all between them.

His eyes had lit up in sparks that reminded her of sunlight and the golden stars in the night sky when he saw her approaching.

Then she’d promptly found herself swept up in his joyful embrace, closing her eyes as she rested her chin in the crook of his neck.

“It’s so good to see you again,” he’d whispered hoarsely, ducking his head against hers. “I’ve missed you so much.”

And while she’d deny it later, she had been tempted to melt in his arms.

Still, it had been a few years since the last time she’d been around Zuko, and she wondered if he’d changed any that she wasn’t aware of.

Maybe he was already interested in someone else or courting them by now, for all she knew...

Katara was shaken from her thoughts by a sound coming from beside her.

Zuko gave a low whistle, and Druk lowered his head to the ground.

Then she watched as her friend expertly climbed atop the dragon’s broad shoulders, grinning down at her once he was settled in place.

“I was thinking about taking Druk out for a flight this afternoon, letting him stretch his wings,” Zuko said, his tone perfectly causal. “Want to go?”

She blinked up at him, then a nervous smile spread across her face.

“Would that be okay? I mean, this is the first time he’s met me, and while I’d love to, I want to make sure he’s comfortable with me first-”

The Fire Lord’s grin transformed into a smirk.

“So that’s a no then, since you’re too scared.”

She bristled.

“I’m not scared!”

“Oh yeah? Prove it.”

With that, he extended his hand down to her.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, his voice abruptly turning softer.

The waterbender found herself reaching up without hesitation, clasping his warm, rough hand firmly in hers.

“With my life,” she replied, watching as something indiscernible flashed in his eyes before he quickly blinked it away.

Oddly enough, it reminded her of the warm expression he wore around her in the days immediately following the comet.

She recalled how those weary golden eyes blinked up at her in awe, watching as she fussed over him and nursed him back to health. He had been tucked away safely in his bed, forbidden from getting up, while she did her best to heal the injuries sustained by his lightning wound.

At the time, she’d assumed he was still partly in shock, just grateful to be alive, and thankful for her care.

Now though, she suddenly found herself doubting her previous observation, wondering if she’d been wrong this whole time…

Katara allowed herself to be delicately pulled up, carefully climbing up the dragon’s scaly shoulders and settling down behind Zuko.

He glanced back at her over his shoulder, beaming.

“See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

She shook her head and playfully rolled her eyes, earning her a chuckle.

Katara reached down, lightly scratching the dragon’s head.

”Good boy, Druk,” she murmured, earning her a pleased-sounding chuffing noise from the beast below, almost like purring.

Then he turned his head to give her a curious sniff and a gentle nuzzling with his snout.

“Aww, I think he likes me!” she laughed.

Zuko grinned proudly back at her.

“I told you Druk was intelligent,” he replied. “If you rub his belly later and give him treats, he’ll love you forever.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she teased. “You may find yourself without a dragon soon, because I’ll have won him over.” 

“Pretty sure you already have,” he snorted. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he wants to fly home with you when you leave.”

She giggled, then her arms slipped around Zuko’s waist, hugging him from behind as she rested her palms against his upper stomach.

Katara might have gotten the slightest satisfaction out of hearing him swallow loudly and feeling his entire body turn warmer than usual beneath her touch.

Was it her imagination, or did his heart skip a beat and suddenly speed up, too?

“This alright?” she asked, keeping her tone as innocent as possible. “I don’t see anything else for me to hold on to…”

“Um, yeah,” he blurted out, sounding less like a Fire Lord and oddly more like a nervous teenage boy at the moment. “Yeah, you can hold on to me if you want to. Ready?”

Then he gave a low whistle, and Katara’s arms instinctively hugged his torso even tighter to her chest as Druk pushed off of the ground.

Katara watched, breathless, as the palace grounds and capital city quickly shrunk far beneath them as they transcended into the clouds, swiveling her head all around to take in the sights as the sounds soon faded out altogether.

Of course she’d seen this view countless times before, whether from Appa’s back or on the deck of an airship.

The first time she’d ever seen the Caldera was with the present company, actually, although it was under far more dire circumstances.

Back then she’d understandably been too anxious to appreciate the scenery as they descended into the heart of the inferno to confront their destinies.

Now, though?

With her arms wrapped securely around her friend – whom she might currently be harboring a teensy, tiny little crush on, no big deal – settled in comfortably behind him as he expertly commanded an enormous dragon floating around in the skies over his kingdom?

This was infinitely better, she decided with absolute certainty.

“What do you think?” he asked, grinning back at her over his shoulder.

She hugged him closer, resting her chin against his shoulder blade and smiled happily up at him.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “Thank you for showing me this, Zuko. I love it.”

His eyes widened and he blinked down at her, his lips parting as if in surprise.

Then his features took on a more familiar haughty look that she claimed to hate but secretly loved, and he sent her wink.

“Just wait, it gets even more amazing,” he murmured. “You have no idea what you’re in for.”

“Can I ask where we’re going?” she asked, thoroughly intrigued.

He shook his head.

“Nope. That’s a surprise.”

“Ugh. You’re no fun.”

Zuko’s brow arched.

“If you really think that, I could always drop you back off at the palace and leave you behind, you know.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“As you wish, Master Katara,” he teased. “Now hold on tight, and don’t let go.”

With that, he gripped the reins tightly and called out a command that she didn’t quite catch, but she assumed was similar in nature to Appa’s yip, yip.

And she shrieked louder than she meant to as Druk immediately took off, like a scarlet comet across the sky at lightning speed before she could so much as blink.

Katara hadn’t meant to squeal directly into Zuko’s ear or clutch his body even closer to hers, but based on his laughter and the reassuring wink he threw back at her, he didn’t mind at all.

She’d spent what amounted to probably years of her life riding on Appa’s back, settled down in the saddle comfortably with her brother and friends.

Katara thought she knew what to expect being on Druk’s back with Zuko, figuring there wouldn’t be much difference from being on a sky bison.

It would probably be less smooth, like the times they’d had to outrun enemies pursuing them.

Oh, how wrong she’d been, though in theory it was similar.

But Appa of course didn’t have a set of powerful, massive wings to propel him upwards and onwards, sounding vaguely reminiscent of thunder booming right behind her ears each time they flapped.

The air roared around them with all the intensity of a hurricane, and she had to shield her face behind Zuko’s broad shoulders just to keep her eyes open against the overwhelming wind currents.

As she was unable to look ahead, she stared in awe down at the world rushing by below around and behind them, watching countless villages and islands whirling by.

Even though he hadn’t said where they were going, they seemed to be heading east, away from the more populated areas.

In fact, it almost looked like they were headed in the direction of…

Zuko patted her hand still clasped tightly around his chest and called back over his shoulder.

“You know, Druk can actually fly even faster, if you wanted to-”

“No!” she half-laughed, hoping he didn’t pick up on the fear in her voice. “No thank you. I’m good.”

He shrugged, shooting her another haughty smirk.

“Just as well, we’re almost there anyways.”

Then he gave a sharp tug on the reins.

As they slowed and started their descent, Katara was finally able to peek out from around Zuko’s shoulder and instantly recognized where he’d brought them.

She’d know it from anywhere.

The last time she was at the beach house was back when she’d still been dating Aang, shortly before she came to the decision they were better off as friends.

That had to have been, what, four years ago?

Still, she had the layout and surrounding area memorized like the back of her hand.

As if she could ever forget this place or the memories of her first summer here.

Druk settled down along the shore near the royal family’s ancestral vacation home, obediently lowering his shoulders to drop them off.

She accepted Zuko’s hand as he helped her climb down, their feet immediately sinking up to their ankles into the tawny grains of sand.

“It’s been a minute since you’ve been here, hasn’t it.”

Katara glanced over at her companion, noticing the warm smile on his face as he gazed down at her.

“That you know of,” she teased. “I’ve actually been throwing all these wild, secret parties here without your knowledge for the past few years. Wouldn’t want to get in trouble with his royal highness, after all.”

He snorted, untying Druk's reins.

“The only way I’d be mad is if you didn’t include me,” he replied, effortlessly matching her snarky tone. “If you’re going to crash my property and raid my booze, the least you could do is make sure I get an invitation.”

He pretended to scowl down at her, so she indulged him with a wink.

“Tell you what – the next time I throw a super-secret beach house party you’ll be the first person I’ll invite, Sifu Hotman.”

“It’s a deal, as long as you quit calling me that.”

“You know that’ll never happen.”

Zuko huffed, though she caught the glint in his eyes.

“Fine, if it brings you that much joy, far be it from me to deny you.”

“Oh, it most certainly does,” she replied, giving him a light hip-check that broke his facade and had him grinning unhindered.

With that, he began leading them up towards the winding pathway that led to the house, and she noticed then that Zuko was once again clasping her hand firmly in his.

A thrill raced through her veins at the realization, though she chose not to mention anything lest it was an accident and he let her go.

She also heard a loud commotion that sounded like something huge stomping along the shoreline and waves splashing.

A quick glance back over her shoulder revealed that Druk had waded out into the sea and was now languidly swimming around.

“He’s always been drawn to the ocean,” she heard Zuko explain as they watched the dragon venture even further from shore. “No matter where we go. So long as there’s a large enough body of water, that’s where you’ll find him.”

“Druk has good taste,” she remarked, lightly elbowing her companion. “Better than some people I know.”

Katara was expecting some smart-mouthed retort, not the wistful look she received instead when she looked back at Zuko.

Then he blinked it away, smiling with just a hint of a blush on his unscarred cheek.

“Guess he gets it honest, huh. But can you blame him?”

Before she could formulate a response, feeling the slightest heat rising in her cheeks now, he tugged lightly on her arm, gripping her hand.

“Are you thirsty? It’s been a few months since I’ve been here, but we should still have some drinks left in stock.”

Minutes later Katara had settled comfortably at the top of the front porch steps, thoroughly pleased with the unexpected but welcome direction this day had taken.

Her feet were bare and stretched out on the steps below, her unbraided hair cascading down her back like the ocean’s waves crashing against the shore off in the distance, already curling and wisping in the humidity.

She grasped a newly opened bottle of sweet plum wine by the neck, which she passed off every so often to the content-looking Fire Lord reclining on his back beside her, with a hand tucked behind his head.

Katara let her gaze roam over the sun-drenched island before closing her eyes, inhaling the salty breeze with a happy sigh.

It had been a minute since she’d been able to relax and take in the scenery, especially here on Ember Island, and she intended to make the most of every second they were here.

“So do we have a curfew, or can we hang out as long as we like?” she asked after a comfortable silence passed.

From down on the floor, the Fire Lord shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve finished my work for the next few days and gave the palace staff a heads up that this was strictly for fun, so they won’t get too worked up if I’m not back by tonight. But to answer your question, we’ve got a day or so, but unfortunately no more than that before they send the royal guards out.”

She nodded, sending him a sympathetic glance.

The fact that he’d been able to slip away at all without causing an uproar from his guard in the first place was a surprise, though not an unwelcome one.

Off in the distance Druk was still happily floating around in the ocean, completely submersing himself every so often and sending turquoise waves splashing all around him that sparkled in the sunlight’s rays, clearly having the time of his life.

“That is one spoiled dragon,” Katara teased, leaning over to poke Zuko’s shoulder. “I’m surprised you weren’t as strict with him as you were training Aang.”

The Fire Lord scoffed up at her.

“Well, that was my original goal, but you try telling a dragon ‘no’ when he’s making those big sad eyes at you.”

“Like these?”

She allowed a truly pitiful expression to wash over her face, blinking down at him with the perfect hint of a pout and a sad sigh.

Zuko chuckled, sitting upright to lean back against his palms.

“Somehow, I think it’s even more dangerous when you do that,” he murmured, almost to himself. “I bet you could make any man in the world do whatever you wanted them to with eyes like yours.”

That admission gave her the bravery to slide even closer to him, just enough to be noticeable.

His eyebrow raised, curious, though he said nothing.

“You think so?” she asked softly, deciding to hell with it, scooting a little closer.

He nodded, swallowing lightly.

For some reason she felt momentarily emboldened, like she had absolutely nothing left to lose.

Besides, this was Zuko – if anything, he was the one guy in the world who she knew wouldn’t tease her if she’d completely misinterpreted things.

Which she probably had, although she hoped and prayed with all her heart that she hadn’t…

“What could I get from the Fire Lord himself, then?” she found herself whispering.

His mouth parted, and she could feel the heat practically radiating from him now, like it always did whenever he felt a strong emotion. Katara just hoped it was the right one.

There was a long, uncertain pause before he finally answered, and his voice was low and hoarse.

“Anything you wanted.”

She heard the roaring of blood in her ears, and frantically she tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t sound completely stupid.

Instead she pressed a short, sweet kiss to his shoulder, as that was easier at the moment than speaking.

Katara allowed her lips to linger against the fabric covering his heated skin, her pulse racing when she heard him exhale deeply.  

“Could I have this, then?” she whispered.

Katara sensed rather than saw him nod again.

“What else do you want from me?” he asked quietly, his voice raspy and strained.

She found the courage to glance up and meet his gaze, her breath catching in her throat when she saw the look in his eyes – hungry, desperate, captivated.

It was almost like he was daring her to continue.

So she did.

Without a word she straightened her spine, slowly leaning in just enough to make her intentions clear, hoping and praying he would meet her halfway.

He didn’t.

Instead, Zuko’s lips crashed against hers long before she ever reached that point.

She was momentarily frozen, pleasantly caught off guard by the overwhelming passion in his kiss that threatened to consume her.  

Finally, she thought as happiness bubbled up within her chest.

He cupped her face delicately within his palms, and it was all she could do not to lie back on the porch and pull him down on top of her.

His mouth tasted sweet as the wine as he drank her in, like a man dying of thirst who’d spent weeks wandering in the desert and stumbled upon an oasis just when all hope seemed lost.

Just as unexpectedly as he’d kissed her, though, he suddenly pulled back.

“Sorry,” he panted, eyes blown wide open in shock. “Was that too much? I didn’t-”

“Why’d you stop?” Katara interrupted.

The smile on her face grew wider, seeing the blush on his grow darker.

He opened his mouth, then closed it, chuckling nervously.

And with that, she draped her arms around his neck, pulling him back in.

She started to guide him down towards the floor beneath them, but he shook his head.

“I’ve got a better idea.”

He hastily climbed to his feet before she could so much as blink.

“What are you – oh!”

Katara squeaked in surprise, then her face broke out into an openmouthed grin as Zuko beamed down at the surprised waterbender in his arms.

“I’ve waited too long for this to happen with you,” he murmured, heading inside. “You deserve something more comfortable than the floor.”

A wicked smirk broke out across her face.

“Oh? Is this the part where the devastatingly handsome Fire Lord swoops in and carries me off to his bedchamber to seduce me?”

It was a wonder he didn’t drop her in shock or explode into flames, considering how scarlet his face turned.

Amusingly enough, he opened his mouth to speak, but only a mortified squawk came out.

No matter how many years had passed, some things never changed.

As much as they’d both grown up, a part of her would always enjoy playfully teasing him and making him blush as often as she could, and he’d always let her get away with it.

Anyone else would have gotten the brunt of his temper and a few choice grumbles, perhaps even a small fire blast back in his less than charming days, but not her.

Somehow, she never caught on to that particular clue before now.

“That is… that is not why I brought you out here,” he protested indignantly. “Give me some credit, I’m not that kind of guy who goes around, seducing his friends…”

Then he paused, wincing when he realized his poor word choice.

“Well, I’m… um, not saying that I’m against carrying you off to my bed either, but…”

He couldn’t have looked further from the part of the charmer as he stammered, and that made her love him all the more in that moment.    

“That’s too bad,” she taunted, winking up at him. “I think I’d rather enjoy being ravished by you.”

This time, she really did think he was about to self-immolate, either from embarrassment or a growing lust that he valiantly struggled to hide, trying to act like a gentleman.

To her delight, he growled down at her moments later when he caught on to her game.

“You are the worst person I’ve ever met, you know that?” he grumbled, abysmally failing to hide his smirk. “Absolutely terrible is what you are.”

She just threw back her head and burst into laughter, which only grew even louder when he carried her inside over the threshold while he peppered kisses all over her face.

Katara could think of far worse places to find herself at the moment than wrapped up in Zuko’s arms, giggling down at him while he grinned up at her through hooded eyelids.  

They lay sprawled out across a couch in the living room overlooking the beach, looking not unlike a pair of shameless teenagers. Had either of them cared to glance out of the window, no doubt the view would have rendered them breathless.

As it was, though, there were far more important matters to focus on.

Delicate fingers grazed over the edges of his face, sapphire eyes locked onto gold as she gazed down at him through her lashes.

It should have unnerved her how easy it was to sink into his kisses, and a part of her thought there should have been some hesitation for either of them.

Yet there wasn’t.

If anything, it felt like the most natural thing in the world, like they were always meant to wind up here in each other’s arms.

It didn’t feel weird at all – it felt right.

And Katara wanted to hold on to this feeling with Zuko for as long as she could.

She propped her chin up in the palm of her hand once they ended another round of sweet kisses, curious to settle something that was now pestering her thoughts.

“You mentioned earlier that you’d been waiting for this for a long time,” she said softly. “Can I ask how long?”

He exhaled slowly, offering a sheepish smile.

“You’re going to laugh or think I’m pathetic when I tell you.”

Katara shook her head.

“No I won’t. Cross my heart, Zuko.”

He didn’t seem to be convinced, so she shrugged the shoulder not currently propping herself up.

“If it makes you feel any better, I realized that I had feelings for you just over three years ago,” she confessed. “But the timing was all off, because you had just gotten back together with Mai…”

“…which is why I didn’t see you all those years,” he finished quietly, suddenly looking relieved yet sorrowful, as though he’d just figured something out. “And here I thought I’d done something to make you mad. Why didn’t you say anything?”

She shook her head.

“The two of you just seemed so happy to be back together,” Katara explained gently. “Of course I couldn’t speak up then.”

He frowned, closing his eyes.  

“I wish you would have,” he admitted. “I never would have gotten back together with Mai otherwise.”

His lashes fluttered open, and the corners of his mouth quirked downwards when he saw her puzzled look.

“Even though I've had feelings for you for a long time, I’ve never acted on them or brought them up before, because I thought they were completely one-sided," he explained. "I just figured I’d learn to live with them somehow. Then when Mai wanted to reconcile a few years back, I was lonely and thought I had nothing else to lose…”

Zuko trailed off, sighing.

“I mean, I do understand why you didn’t say anything three years ago,” he said, sounding almost wistful. “It’s probably the same reason why I didn’t say anything when you and Aang first got together.”

Her brow knitted as the pieces started to fall into place.

And the realization made her want to gasp.  

“Zuko… how long exactly have you had feelings for me?” she asked softly. “Because he and I started dating right after your coronation…”

And a few months after that, he’d announced that he and Mai were officially back together…

He was silent for a long time before he spoke.

When he did, his voice was barely above a whisper.

“Since Sozin’s Comet,” he confessed, wiping a hand down his face. “From the moment you brought me back to life, when I was lying on the tiles looking up at you. That’s when it hit me, and I knew for certain.”

Katara’s breath caught in her throat.

As long as she lived, she’d never forget the look in Zuko’s eyes back then, how they’d weakly fluttered open right after she stole him back from death’s door at the last possible moment.

And how they’d shone like the sun itself when they met hers, as bright as stars sparkling against the darkest night sky, an anchor for her to focus on as the world burned to ashes around them.

In the present, all she could do was stare down at him, stunned.

“Why didn’t you say anything back then?” she blurted out when she was able to.

Zuko huffed, exhaling wisps of smoke.

“You and I had just become friends by that point,” he explained, offering a sad smile. "I knew my place and where I stood."

She opened her mouth to offer some words of comfort, but he continued before she could do so.

“Besides, given our history, I knew it was impossible to hope you would ever feel the same… and then shortly afterwards, you got together with Aang. All I could do was try to move on with Mai. Once you two split up I held onto a sliver of hope, though I still didn’t expect anything to actually happen…”

Both were silent, examining each other in the warm rays of sunlight filtering inside the room.

“So you know my tragic backstory,” he eventually said, breaking the stillness. “But what about you? What made you realize three years ago…?”

“… that I liked you?” she finished for him.

Something inside of her melted when she saw him blush, clearly unused to the idea that his feelings hadn’t been unrequited all this time.

“Um, yeah. That.”

She peppered featherlight kisses on both sides of his face before answering.

“Honestly? It was gradual, building up over the years from all the times we spent together," she explained. "It was something I didn’t quite realize even existed until I was single again and had time by myself to reflect.”

Katara paused, smiling.

“Plus, all the letters we wrote back and forth over that time definitely helped.”

He nodded, no doubt remembering how she’d shared all of her adventures with him, constantly updating him about all the places she visited and the people she met during her travels across the world.

Then there had been a singular moment that she realized her feelings for Zuko went deeper than friendship...

Her epiphany had come three-and-a-half years ago, after receiving yet another letter from him.

Back then, she'd always dropped everything whenever those arrived to tear them open as quickly as possible.

She’d been teased more than once by the people of the village she’d been staying with at the time that the letters must have been from her secret boyfriend, based on how giddy she got seeing the messenger hawk arrive, despite her protests to the contrary.

One day she’d tucked herself away inside her room, mulling over the words from this latest correspondence, and her eye had caught a new signoff from the Fire Lord.

Love, Zuko.

At first, she’d been tempted to write it off as a mistake, a slip of the pen. Two little words that were practically inconsequential.

Surely he didn’t want to rewrite the whole last page because of a small error, or something.

But then she’d allowed her thoughts to wander later that day, repeating those two words over and over in her mind.

She found herself wondering not only if they meant something more, but if she wanted them to.

Katara recalled all of their previous interactions, wondering if there had been something obvious that she'd missed over the years.

And that of all her friends, he had always been the one to step up and take care of her, treating her reverently as his equal.

And that maybe, just maybe, she’d been overlooking something perfect that had been right there in front of her all along.

Once that idea had taken root, she found it impossible to ignore, so she opted to keep it a secret for the time being, at least until she knew for absolute certain that he would be there to catch her when she fell.

When she finally decided that she had to tell him, though, it had been too late.

She had no choice but to accept the loss, immediately throwing herself back into her missions and projects, hoping those would somehow help soothe her heavy heart.

“By the time I figured out that I liked you as more than a friend," Katara was saying in the present, "I realized I’d missed my chance to say or do anything about it… until now.”

He nodded thoughtfully.

“I thought I picked up on something subtle in your letters at one point back then, but I was too much of a coward to do anything,” he admitted. “I guess I assumed that if you did feel the same, you would have said something...”

Zuko paused when he noticed Katara lightly shaking her head.

“Meanwhile I kept waiting for you to say something first,” she replied softly. “I was scared of going out on a limb and ruining things between us, especially if you didn’t like me that way.”

His mouth quirked upwards in a self-deprecating smile.

“So basically, it’s both of our faults because we were too afraid,” he mused. “And to think, if I’d just said something back then like I’d wanted to-”

He was interrupted from continuing, though, as her head ducked down, and she pressed her lips tenderly to his.

Whatever else he considered saying also died on the tip of his tongue as she deepened the kiss, raking her fingers through his hair, delicately caressing his scalp.

When she finally pulled back to let them both catch their breath, there was an awestruck expression on his face.

His eyes closed and he exhaled happily as her lips ventured over to his scarred cheek, then down along his jawline, eventually pressing sweet kisses against his throat.

“What are you doing?” he murmured, hugging her just a bit closer.

Katara paused, meeting his gaze with a wink that held just a hint of mischief.

“Making up for lost time,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Because apparently, we’re both lovestruck, pining idiots who can’t see right what’s in front of us.”  

Zuko chuckled, trailing his fingertips through the waves in her hair, and nudged her face back upwards to capture her lips once more.

Again, Katara wondered if she ought to have felt more hesitance getting swept away by his kisses or basking in the warmth radiating from his body as he held her close in his strong embrace.

But as it was, she never felt more at home.

When his hands cautiously ventured beneath the hem of her dress a short time later and settled atop her outer thighs, she felt no reluctance, no fear.

Instead, she returned the favor by helping him unfasten the clasps of his shirt, carefully helping him slip it off.

His pants were next, and she tried to steady her fingers trembling with excitement or nerves or both as she too helped him slide those down.  

Then she sat back on her knees, undoing the ties of her dress, letting it fall from her shoulders and arms, shrugging it off, until only her sarashi and bindings remained.

He sat up as well, raising his brow at her.

They were approaching the point of no return; he’d seen her in a swimsuit multiple times over the years during their group’s summer trips to Ember Island, and vice versa.

Everything after this was entirely new territory.

She leaned down, letting her lips linger against the star-shaped scar on his chest for a heartbeat, hearing his breathing turn ragged before she pulled back and met his eyes.

Maybe she should have been shyer about disrobing in front of her longtime friend, Katara thought to herself as she began untying her sarashi.

But when she saw his eyes darken like burnt amber and his mouth part open upon seeing the last strip of white cloth that made up her chest bindings tumble down towards the floor, she only felt a surge of pride.

“We’re not moving too fast, are we?” he blurted out, a heavy blush rising in his face despite the hungry, almost ferocious look burning now in his gaze.

Perhaps they were, but she had no intention of slowing down anytime soon, not so long as he was game.

Judging by the proof of his arousal visibly straining against his underclothes, he absolutely was.

“Having second thoughts?” she asked, just to be on the safe side.

His face took on that familiar smirk that she used to despise but now drove her mad in the best possible way.

“Definitely not,” he breathed, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. “Just wanted one last chance to be a gentleman before I – what was it you said? – start making up for lost time.”

Katara kept her eyes fixed on his as she pulled back and stood up beside the couch, maintaining eye contact as she deliberately started unwrapping her lower bindings.

Her moves were slow and methodical, drawing out the process as long as possible, until she saw his throat bob and heard the faintest growl escape from his mouth as he absentmindedly palmed against his bulge.  

Lust pooled in her stomach when she noticed how he just barely seemed to be holding back from pouncing as he drank in the sight of her.

She did this to him, Katara thought proudly to herself, and she couldn't wait to see just how worked up he could get because of her.

Finally she was completely bare, smirking down at him as he could only gaze up at her in complete adoration.

With her best grin and a haughty toss of hair over her shoulders, Katara beamed down at Zuko.

“You’re too sweet,” she murmured. “But if it’s fine with you, I think I’d prefer if you didn’t act like a gentleman.”

Not that she was opposed to taking things slowly, least of all with him.

But she had been on a pedestal for the entirety of her previous relationship and treated like a delicate flower far too often, and well, they had pined after each other for the last several years.

At the moment she wanted nothing more than to have him inside her in some capacity, either down her throat or between her thighs, preferably as wild and unhindered as possible, or she was certain she was going to scream from frustration.  

His jaw dropped, wisps of smoke and faint glowing sparks escaping from his mouth.

“As the lady wishes.”

She had no time to form a response, however, as he stood without warning and scooped her up into his arms once more, carrying her off towards his bedroom without further delay as she threw back her head and laughed.

Moments later she found herself sprawled out amidst the soft, cozy sheets of his bed, giggling up at Zuko as he smirked down at her, long strands of midnight black hair falling into his gleaming eyes.

“You’ll tell me if I need to slow down or if I’m too rough?” he asked, trailing heated, lingering kisses across her breasts and down her stomach.

Katara squeaked out a breathless yes, nodding her head for good measure.

He beamed, slipping down to kneel on the floor, pulling her hips to the edge of the bed, situating her thighs atop his shoulders.

She let out a shuddered moan as he kissed her folds with surprising reverence, carefully exploring her with delicate nips and licks and sucks that had her whimpering for more.

His eyes glanced up to meet hers for a heartbeat before he dove back in, soon bypassing gentleness altogether.

And then she let out a gratified sob, clutching his locks between her trembling fingers and writhed against his mouth as he growled and devoured her alive.

As she lay sprawled out afterwards, panting and breathless, she barely even registered the dip in the mattress as he settled down beside her, languidly kissing his way back up her body.

Zuko paused when he reached her face, trailing his fingers through the waves of her hair, smiling softly down at her.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

He ducked his head to kiss her slowly and sweetly, as though nothing else in the world mattered.

And Katara shivered when she realized then that he was pouring seven years’ worth of devotion into the kiss and all of his actions now, truly making up for lost time.

When he pulled back, he smiled down at her like she was the most precious sight he'd ever beheld, and it was all she could do not to cry.

His brow creased when he noticed.

“Katara, what’s wrong?”

She shook her head, smiling up at him.

“Nothing… nothing’s wrong,” she breathed, something inside of her melting seeing his features soften. “The opposite, actually.”  

The corners of his mouth turned upwards, even more so once she nudged him to roll over with her on top, helping him remove the last remnants of clothing between them before she straddled his hips.

Her folds were still tender in the best way possible from his ministrations, her body boneless from coming undone again and again on his mouth.

Yet she wasted no time letting her fingers curl around his thick, unbearably hot length for a few preparatory strokes before she guided him to her entrance.

There would be time to recover later, to catch her breath.

Right now, she was too desperate and engulfed by her instincts and desires, as was he.

She ducked her head, claiming his lips in a deep kiss as she slowly began to sink down, mewling against his mouth as he began to fill and stretch her deliciously.

His hands stilled while stroking against her skin, groaning savagely with pleasure that made her instinctively clench tight around his length as she continued to take him in.

“You feel so fucking good,” he ground out against her mouth, his eyes squeezed shut. “Fuck, Katara, fuck…”

Once she had taken all of him there was a pause, a heartbeat when time slowed to a crawl, to a single moment where everything was perfect.

Her fingers rested against his jaw; she pressed her forehead to his.

A sense of pride roared throughout her veins in triumph when she heard his breath hitch in his throat and felt his heart hammering away beneath his ribs.

“Are you alright?” she asked, smiling sympathetically when he nodded shakily.

His lashes fluttered open, and he softly panted up at her.

“Never felt better,” he promised, his voice low and hoarse. “This is heavenly – you feel more heavenly – than I could have ever dreamed…”

He exhaled a ragged breath, hugging her closer to his chest, resting his chin in the crook of her neck.

“I’m probably not going to last long,” he whispered apologetically, and she could feel his face grow hot from turning pink. “I’m so sorry, I’ve wanted you for so long, and you just feel so good-”

She kissed his cheek, hugging his neck gently.

“You know, there’s always the next round, and the time after that, and so on,” she assured him, sending him a wink seeing the relieved and astonished look wash over his face.

Zuko quickly composed himself, smirking up at her.

“Oh, there’s going to be more times after this?” he teased, unable to completely disguise the thrill in his voice.

Then he practically choked when she rolled her hips forward, knocking that smug look right off his face.

She nudged him to lie flat on his back, allowing her to take as much of him inside of her as she could, before building up a steady rhythm.

“I was thinking as many times as possible,” she replied boldly, biting back a sigh of relief when she saw that he smiled in agreement with that plan. "I’m guessing that’s fine with you, your highness?”

He chuckled, guiding her face downwards towards his for a kiss.

“Absolutely,” he breathed. “You can have me for the rest of your life, if you want.”

The significance of his words didn’t register at first, though when they did a few seconds later he froze up, clearly wondering if he’d overstepped.

But she nodded, breathless, and continued rocking.

“I’d like that,” she whispered. “I want to be yours, Zuko, as long as you’ll have me.”

He sighed in relief, winking up at her, unable to speak just yet.

His hands traced down her sides, eventually resting his palms flat against her hips, pushing her down against him to create as much friction as possible as they moved together.

Then his fingertips grasped her tender flesh even tighter as his breathing sped up, hard enough to leave light bruises that she would proudly wear as souvenirs afterwards.

He thrust upwards every so often in a frantic need to be deeper, grinning wickedly each time he heard her gasping out.

Katara heard him gritting out some praise beneath her as she rocked them, though she was too far gone in a bliss-filled haze to comprehend what he was saying.

All she knew was that she had no desire of stopping, nipping at his earlobe and clenching around him as she rolled her hips forward, bringing them closer and closer to the edge.

His hand slid down to right above where their bodies joined, finding her bundle of nerves and stroking her ruthlessly, over and over... until…

She managed to choke out his name as her second orgasm hit her with the force of a tidal wave, freezing up as she fluttered around him, trembling.

Then she slumped forward against his flushed chest, satiated and exhausted as she panted.

Without warning he flipped them over, settling between her thighs again as she grinned breathlessly up at him, opening her mouth to speak.

A shuddered moan escaped instead, as he sheathed himself back inside her warmth with a careful yet forceful thrust.

He stilled, growling above her, exhaling sparks as he fought to maintain control.

When he was capable of speech again, his voice was impossibly deep, feral even, and she instinctively clenched around him, earning her a hiss.

“So you don’t want me to act like a gentleman, is that right?”

She nodded eagerly, then keened as his hips gave a sharp, testing snap against hers.

He situated her legs higher up around his waist, grinning fiercely down at her as he repeated the motion, drawing a pleased moan from her lips.

Zuko lowered himself down until his chest was flush against hers, resting his weight on his elbows.

His mouth sought out hers as he surged forward, pushing even deeper inside, as far as he possibly could until she let out happy squeaks against his lips with each deep thrust.

He chuckled, letting his sharp teeth nip all over her throat as he rolled his hips against hers, steady and unrelenting.  

She choked out a gasp as he fucked her, really and truly fucked her, digging her nails into the muscles of his back, letting them drag down his heated skin, feeling the flames growing beneath her touch.

“You doing okay?” he murmured, slowing down just enough to form a complete sentence.

Katara nodded.

“Harder,” she managed to breathe out. “Harder, please Zuko…”

He swore, obeying immediately as he got rougher.

In no time she was practically sobbing in delight, crying out his name when she felt herself toppling over the edge for the third time, her walls spasming uncontrollably around him while he hissed ecstatically.

There was no way she’d be able to walk a straight line later today, much less the rest of the week.

And she already couldn’t wait until the next round, when they could start all over again.

She could just envision herself sucking him off, then bent over across the bed while he fucked her from behind…

He slammed into her once, twice, three more times before he withdrew abruptly, spilling and pulsing into his hand with a ragged gasp while she panted below him.

Then he collapsed onto his back beside her, exhaling a cloud of dark smoke that swirled and wisped up into the air before evaporating.

Once she caught her breath she rolled over onto her side, smiling triumphantly down at Zuko as his panting gradually slowed.

He wiped his hand against his stomach as an afterthought, then grinned over at her, exhaustion and pride glowing in his glazed eyes.

“Hi,” she whispered, leaning over for a kiss, nipping playfully at his lower lip.

“Hi,” he whispered back, giving her a tired wink.

After the usual post-coital necessities had been attended to and his stomach had been wiped off, Katara curled up into his embrace once more tucked underneath the bedsheets, resting her cheek against his shoulder.

She heard him let out a sigh of contentment, closing her eyes as his fingers trailed through her mussed-up hair.

All was still in the peaceful tranquility that followed, and she shifted her head against his skin so she could hear his heart beating.

Seven years ago, she’d heard it stop altogether for a few minutes before she brought him back to life, determined to save him no matter what it took.

Katara hugged him tighter, then propped her chin up in the palm of her hand as she glanced down at him.

“Inquiring minds want to know – why did you bring me out here if you weren’t initially planning to seduce me?”

His mouth quirked upwards.

“I mean, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t secretly hoped we’d end up like this, but I never actually expected anything to happen,” he began sheepishly.

“Sure you didn’t,” she quipped, grinning cheekily. “I bet that’s what you tell all the ladies you bring out here.”

Then she squeaked as a warm hand slid down to squeeze her bottom.

“Behave yourself,” he grumbled. “You and I both know I’m too awkward to put the moves on anyone.”

Katara shrugged her shoulders.

“It worked for me,” she replied, kissing his cheek. “You definitely made me swoon.”

And just like that, he broke out into a smile, his eyes sparkling like stars.

“That just proves you have questionable taste,” he teased, biting back a yelp as she poked and tried to tickle his side in retaliation.

Once they’d settled down again, he pressed a kiss to her temple, hugging her closer.

“So you really want to know why I brought you out here?” he asked quietly, waiting until she nodded before he continued. “One, because you always seem so much more relaxed when you visit here. I just wanted to see you happy, more than anything..."

This earned him a sweet kiss on his cheek.

"Two, because I've been in agony since you came back yesterday morning, wanting to hold you and kiss you. So I decided to surprise you with a trip out here, to see if you felt the same. I knew that I'd never be able to live with myself if I didn't at least make some type of move and find out once and for all if there was something there, or if I needed to move on with my life."

If Katara were a betting woman, she’d also guess that Iroh had known about his nephew’s feelings from the beginning and had been encouraging him to finally tell her after all this time.

"And three…”

Here he swallowed faintly, looking slightly nervous.

“There’s, ah, this festival type thing coming up later this week in that coastal town we used to visit back in the day," he stammered out. "I was wondering if you might want to go, but we’d have to be accompanied by guards into town for security purposes, so they’d have to travel out here. We can have some of your stuff shipped over, so you’d have an outfit to wear, but if you’re not interested in going that’s totally fine-”

She held her finger up to his lips, interrupting him.

“Are you asking me out on a date?” she grinned.

Even though they’d just had sex and he’d guaranteed that she’d have a limp the rest of the day, she found it amusing that he seemed even more nervous now trying to ask her out.

Bless him – he was a hopeless lovestruck fool, but he was her hopeless lovestruck fool, just as she was his.

 He blushed, nodding.

“Um, yeah. What do you say?”

Katara leaned over to capture his mouth in a deep kiss, letting her fingertips graze across the planes of his chest, trailing over his lightning scar before resting over his pounding heartbeat.

When she pulled back, she was tempted to burst into giggles seeing the dazed and happy look on his face.

“I say we stay in tonight and enjoy each other’s company as many times as possible, since we do have seven years to make up for,” she replied. “Maybe we could even take Druk out for another ride later, if you wanted to show off for me again..."

"You caught on to that, huh."

"Well, it was pretty obvious, Zuko. Not that I'm complaining."

They shared a brief chuckle before she continued, smiling nervously.

"And then later this week... I’d love nothing more than to be your date to that festival... and every time after that, if you want me to.”

Of course, it would be just like them to do things backwards and dive in headfirst, first by hooking up and then deciding to pursue a relationship.

Whether this meant she was now his girlfriend or consort was anyone's guess.

Call it what you want - as long as she could be his and he could be hers, it ultimately didn't matter.

She thought Zuko’s smile couldn’t grow any wider, but she’d been wrong.

“Then it’s a date," he breathed.

And with that, he gently pulled her in for more tender kisses, wrapped up in each others' arms, for a night seven years in the making.