Just to clarify, this is in no way, shape, or form Zutara. I do not support that pairing - this is Kataang, and Zuko/Katara FRIENDSHIP/SIBLING bonds. Also, I don't own ATLA.

Zuko hated dancing.

He just didn't feel right performing "graceful" moves with just his feet, without his swords in his hands. And that "Dancing Dragon" firebending had been the exception, not the rule.

Which was why he felt a bit out of place at the moment, at Katara and Aang's wedding. The dancing had begun, the bride and groom had shared the first dance – a spectacular tango reminiscent of the waterbending that he had often seen them practice together (for some reason, Sokka had been rolling his eyes the whole time, and Toph shaking her head, chuckling under her breath) – and once that was finished and the music had segued into something faster, other couples had begun to stand up. And now everyone was dancing. And Zuko was sitting.

He pondered the deep burgundy color of the wine in the half-full glass in front of him, wondering if it was traditional Water Tribe wine, or if it was from the Earth Kingdom, as that was where this banquet hall was, or if Aang had unearthed some old Air Nomad recipes like he'd been promising –

"Want to dance?"

Surprised, he looked up. Katara stood behind him, her long silken sleeve almost brushing the table as she offered him her hand.

Zuko hadn't really had time to talk to her that day – he'd been officiating the ceremony; as the Fire Lord it was perfectly legal, but they'd both been too busy with their respective duties for conversation – and he marveled at how lovely she looked. She was always beautiful, of course, but today, ethereal in her white dress and with her face radiant with happiness, she was absolutely stunning.

And she was still looking at him expectantly, hand extended.

"Me?" stalled Zuko, looking around for someone to save him. But only Sokka was anywhere near, and he was looking at Zuko with a wicked smile, as though saying, "You're on your own, buddy." Zuko turned back to Katara, resolving to get Sokka back for this somehow. "Shouldn't you be dancing with your husband?" He emphasized the last word, and was rewarded by the beam on her face growing brighter.

"Aang?" When she said his name, it was as though her mouth itself was caressing the word. Still, she rolled her eyes even while smiling fondly. "I take it you haven't seen him in awhile."

Zuko followed her pointing finger. "No, I have – oh." When he saw where she was indicating, he couldn't help rolling his eyes as well. Across the room, Aang was trying to dance with Toph. Trying being the operative word. He had hold of her hands, but her feet were free, and she kept setting the ground beneath Aang's feet rippling uncontrollably. As they watched, he cartwheeled into the air to keep his balance, forced to let go of her hands. She took that opportunity to make her escape – but with an airbending-enhanced leap, Aang was in front of her again, seizing her hands.

"So?" Katara drew his attention back to her, and her still offered hand. "Obviously Aang's busy – you were the best second choice." She winked.

"But why me?" hedged Zuko, still hoping for an escape.

"Oh, come on, Zuko." She laughed, her cheeks glowing pink. "You're practically my brother. Doesn't the bride get to dance with her sibling?" Mischief glinted in her eyes; subtly, she twirled a finger in the air. Zuko looked around in horror – a stream of wine, ominously red, was rising out of his glass.

"Why don't you dance with Sokka, then?" he tried, still eyeing the wine. "He's your real brother, after all."

"Mm," she said carelessly, shrugging. Her eyes were still dancing with suppressed laughter. "I guess. But I want to dance with you."

"Hey!" howled Sokka from across the table. "I take offense at that! You know, even though I can't bend, I might not be able to make stuff fly around, but you know what? I'm your brother, and I'm the Idea Guy, and I'm just as worthy" –

Katara flicked her finger, and Sokka yelped as the stream of wine slapped against his cheek, leaving a red mark. "Besides," she turned back to Zuko, "I already danced with Idea Guy over there. I want a dance with my other brother." The strand of wine retracted from Sokka's face, descending back into Zuko's glass.

"Hang on," he protested. "That was on Sokka's face. Who knows where that thing's been? And now you're going to just put it back into my glass? I mean, I could contract some deadly illness from that or something! I could" –

Whap. A stinging pain erupted just over Zuko's right eye, causing him, too, to yelp and clutch his face in pain. Katara's wine whip, miraculously re-formed, flew back from his face to coil threateningly around her finger.

"Save it, Fire Lord," she said, raising her eyebrows. "Now," she flexed her finger just a bit, "are you going to dance with me, or not?"

Okay, so maybe Zuko didn't have the best track record of knowing or accepting when he was beaten. He liked to think that his brief period of traveling with the Avatar had taught him a few things about that, but the truth was that it probably hadn't, not really. But now, faced with an irritated bride on her wedding day, someone who usually got her way anyway, and someone who had complete power over all the water in the room – and that on top of the menacing look on her face? Well, Zuko was ready to admit defeat.

"Fine," he sighed, reaching out and taking the proffered hand.

As his fingers closed around hers, Katara flicked the finger of the other hand. The wine dissolved into a tiny cloud of steam that quickly dissipated into the air around. A sprinkle of dry red powder fell to the ground at Zuko's feet. His eyes were drawn to it – but then Katara was pulling him to his feet and turning him to face her.

"I should warn you," Zuko said, a little panicked at her speed and confidence, "I'm really not the best – I mean, I don't like – I mean" –

"Don't worry." Katara laughed and nodded to something behind him. "No one's watching us, anyway."

Zuko turned his head to see that Aang and Toph were now half-wrestling on top of a spinning disk of rock hovering in the air that had probably once been part of the ballroom floor. He had to laugh as he turned back to Katara, putting one hand on her waist and taking her other in his as she steered him out to the dance floor by the shoulder.

"So, really," he said, a little emboldened, looking at her, "why were you so desperate to dance with me?"

She shrugged, laughing a little. "Well, I'm like your younger sister, right? So as a rule, I'm supposed to annoy you – and I figured that forcing you to dance when it makes you so uncomfortable would fit into that category, right?"

"Better than" – Zuko stopped abruptly. Better than what I got from my real younger sister.

She seemed to read his mind, the laughter draining from her eyes immediately. "I'm sorry, Zuko," she said, hand tightening a little in his. "I didn't mean to compare – I don't mean to bring up – bad memories."

"No, it's fine," muttered Zuko, forcing his jaw to unclench. "Truthfully . . ." He hesitated. "You make a better little sister than she ever did. You all are much more my family than she was."

Katara's face lit up again, her eyes glistening. "I'm so glad, Zuko," she said sincerely, letting go of his shoulder to wipe her eyes. "I'm so glad that we could be that for you. I'm so glad that we met you."

He took advantage of her loosened grip and twirled her, feeling a little more confident now. "I'm glad, too," he agreed, feeling a slow smile start on his own face. "I can't believe . . ." He pulled her back in, assuming their former position. "I can't believe that years ago, I wanted nothing more than to capture all of you and turn you in."

Katara giggled. "I can't believe that years ago, I threatened to kill you if you ever hurt Aang."

"Oh, like that would ever change," he teased her.

She smiled, but not wickedly, the way she had earlier – her eyes drifted just a little out of focus, her smile a little more dreamy. Her "Aang smile," Sokka had taken to calling it. "No," she murmured, "I guess it wouldn't." She shook her head a little, as though snapping herself out of a daze. "But it wouldn't be necessary anymore, would it?"

"Of course not!" As the song approached its conclusion, Zuko rolled her in and dipped her so low that her veil brushed the floor. "Never."

A loud boom echoed from the other end of the dance floor, followed by a few shrieks – they both whipped around to see that Aang and Toph's rock disc had slammed back into the ballroom floor, and they had both toppled off of it and lay sprawled on the floor.

"I guess that's my cue," Katara laughed lightly and bowed to him, as was traditional. Then she lunged at him and enveloped him in a tight hug. "Zuko," she whispered, "I hope you know that we're all so happy to have you, and so glad that you've let us be your friends and family. You're a wonderful person, and you deserve the best from life. Really."

Shocked and touched, speechless, Zuko could do nothing but just stare at her, trying to swallow around the lump in his throat. She smiled at him, radiant with happiness and certainty, and then she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

He watched her turn and glide away, across the ballroom; watched her bend down and extend a hand to Aang, who took it and leaped easily to his feet, wrapping an arm around Katara's shoulders. She swayed slightly to the side, leaning against him, white veil fluttering lightly in the wind that Aang had stirred up. Zuko watched them – his friends, his family – and he thought that what he had said to Katara was true. This new family was definitely better than the old.