Author's Note:

Also set some time after TSR episode and before TEIP episode, this story is the unofficial sequel to Just Tonight (found on my profile, go read it!), though it can work as a stand alone as well (still go read it!). Many were curious as to what exactly happened between Zuko and Katara behind closed doors—my response (this fic) may be a little vague, but my intention is for the reader to imagine whatever they like to have happened: from a platonic late night chat to crazy mad banging ;) My original intention was to leave the story after Just Tonight and let you all go crazy, but the-night-after Katara was too interesting to not explore. I also have this niggling feeling that Zuko and Katara are kind of OOC here...but, let's blame it on the alcohol!

Inspiration: I would suggest listening to Killing Loneliness by HIM while reading this story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea. Story portrait belongs to insomniatakesover.

And as always, reviews are appreciated!

Killing Loneliness

The fire slowly died in the courtyard and as the light faded, darkness crept along the stone cobbled floor towards Katara. The night was clear, cloudless and warm, just like the night before and the one before that. It was always warm in the Fire Nation.

In the remaining light, Katara picked up the scattered cushions and stacked them under an awning. The last time she had been sitting here was when- Grimacing, she punched the top cushion back into place before it toppled to the ground.

Wandering back to the fire, Katara stood in front of it for a while, watching the flames flicker and vanish one by one. It was the alcohol, she decided. It had to be. She was never so... so... ugh. A whole day later and it still felt as if the liquid was in her system, dulling her thoughts. How were the others fine this morning? Sokka and Suki seemed back to their usual selves, though it seemed like they were avoiding her. And...

Impulsive. That was the word. And angry. And stupid! And, ugh! Now there were too many words coming at her and her head began to hurt more. Pressing the heels of her palms to her eyes, she groaned softly and then sighed before dropping her hands to her sides once more. On a normal day, she wasn't any of those things, or maybe she was and she was now just really good at hiding it. So did the alcohol bring out her true nature? The one she didn't realize she had?

"Unlike Sokka," Katara muttered under her breath, narrowing her eyes slightly. "He's always an idiot and just becomes a bigger one when he drinks."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Katara grimaced again, this time with guilt. It was easy to badmouth her brother to forget her own problems, even if what she said or thought wasn't the truth. Sokka wasn't an idiot. Not all the time anyway, and sometimes he came up with some really good ideas. He was a good Ideas Guy. Feeling a little better now, Katara straightened her shoulders, full of fresh resolve; she would apologize to Sokka, Suki, Toph and Aang in the morning. And she would avoid him for a little while longer.

Katara could feel the heat in her cheeks and was glad for the cover of darkness. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He was Fire Nation! Their prince, for Tui's sake! Another voice in her head whispered questions she wasn't sure she could answer just yet: Did that even matter anymore? Wasn't he just Zuko to them? Wasn't he the one who understood her the most? Katara released her well chewed lip from between her teeth. Maybe staying away from him for the time being would be a good idea.

Katara made her way inside, satisfied that the fire wouldn't suddenly roar to life and burn the home down - though really, who knew. Fire was so unpredictable; steady and quiet one minute then wild and intense and everywhere the next. Kind of like their benders. Or maybe just one bender in particular... Stop! Shaking her head, she stomped back to the fire, pulled water from her pouch and doused the last flame viciously. There. Fire and firebending and firebenders—all gone!

Katara only calmed when she reached the next floor. It was then that her thoughts wandered to the others. Despite her tirade the previous night about forgiveness, she hoped they would forgive her. If they could forgive years of torment from the Fire Prince, surely one emotional outburst would be easy to forget. Surely.

When she reached the floor with their rooms, she couldn't help looking down the hall towards one door in particular. Just as quickly, she turned back to stare at the dark wood of her own door, only to remember how she had been staring at that door late last night. In just her bindings. And when that door opened, he had been shirtless. Her head made a dull thud as it dropped against the wood.

"Definitely time to sleep," she muttered.

Just as her hand closed around the doorknob, the sound of rustling fabric caught her attention. The noise was coming from the stairwell. Distracted from her previous woes, Katara cautiously walked towards the stairs and peeked up. She could see the source of the sound: long but light curtains were blowing in the light breeze and were brushing against a potted tree sitting nearby, which meant the door they covered was open. Did somebody forget to close it? Or was somebody awake? Huffing quietly, she began to climb the stairs. Maybe it was Aang? Katara knew he liked to spend time alone and think outside, get some air. She snorted - an airbender, getting air. Funny. Maybe she could get his apology out of the way; she had shouted at him the most.

Stepping through the door, she walked onto the flat roof of the house and looked around, trying to find a glimpse of orange. A large wooden cage that used to hold birds of some sort now sat, decrepit, in the middle and as she rounded it, her eyes widened and she came to a sudden stop.

There was the orange. And the red. Orange and red pants that looked almost brown in the darkness. Just pants. And pale, pale skin that shone under the moon's light. And dark hair that disappeared in the night, making it seem as if the body before her had no head at all. She hoped her squeak of surprise was silent.

It was not, because Zuko suddenly turned and caught her gaze and then she was caught under eyes that were just as bright as they were last night. She saw him look over her—a quick inspection, but even that made her feel as if she were on fire and try as she might, she couldn't pull her eyes from him.

As they silently regarded each other, panicked questions raced through her mind: Why was he here? Where was Aang? Why couldn't it have been Aang?! Then suddenly, Katara felt as if she had to do something—anything—but her brain clearly wasn't working because all she did was blurt out: "Don't you ever wear a shirt?"

Maybe if Katara asked nicely, Zuko would do her a favour and set her on fire. Or push her off the roof.

He was so still that she thought—hoped—that he hadn't heard her but then a small grin slowly creeped it's way across his mouth causing her to clear her throat because she realized she had been staring at his lips for a while now. Her gaze skittered to the side, only returning to him when he spoke.

"I do. I wore one all of today." His voice was low and amused; she could hear the laugh he was barely holding back.

"I—I knew that!"

"Really? Because it seemed like you were avoiding me today." His smile grew slightly. Damn him. "Or maybe you've forgotten when we first met. I was wearing a shirt then, armour too. Or most of our other encounters. Pretty sure there was a shirt present."

"At night!" He was teasing her! Damn him, again. "I meant at night," she clarified, and then immediately wished she hadn't said anything.

"Interested in what I wear at night?"

"No! I just—you—you can't—no!" Katara sighed and rubbed her forehead; her headache was slowly coming back. Since when did this boy tease! Changing topics quickly, she asked, "What are you doing out here, Zuko?"

He shrugged his shoulders lightly and turned around in his seat, his legs dangling over the edge of the roof. "Nothing. Couldn't sleep." Peering at her from the corner of his burnt eye, he slowly patted the roof next to him.

Katara stared at his hand. The gesture was innocent enough and yet she stayed where she was, debating whether to go to him or to turn around and go to bed where she knew that she too wouldn't be able to fall asleep. She would be too busy thinking about why he was awake—was it because of everything that was happening? Or was it because of everything that had happened...

Katara knew which option she should have taken, but her traitorous body moved forward. She made sure to sit not too close to him—she didn't want to be presumptuous—but not too far away either. Otherwise it would look like she had presumed and decided not to appear so bold and put the distance there on purpose. Katara sighed; since when had taking a seat become so complicated?

By the time she had settled, Zuko was looking ahead again and she followed his gaze to see the darkened landscape of Ember Island: large houses with curtains pulled; small flames flickering here and there, lighting the way while casting small shadows; the crash of waves from nearby; the smell of salt in the air; the moon, almost full, casting a whitish glow on everything.

"It's too hot here."

Zuko's voice pulled her from her observations and she turned slightly to glance at him. He was warm beside her and still looking at the view before him.

"It's almost summer. And since I run hotter than normal—because of firebending, of course—well, I find it more comfortable not to when it finally cools down a little. Not wear a shirt I mean," he finished and then cleared his throat.

"Oh. Makes sense, I guess." Suddenly feeling brave, Katara smiled mischievously but looked away from Zuko. "Feel free to be comfortable during the day as well. It must be even hotter." From the corner of her eye, she saw him quickly turn his head towards her and she had to bite down hard on her lower lip to keep a smile from forming.

Zuko had no such problems because he laughed—rich and warm and right in her ear—and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." There was a slight pause and a clink of glass against stone before he spoke again. "Want some?"

Katara turned back to see a bottle of amber liquid resting in his hands. The lid was open and the bottle wasn't completely full. It was the same drink she had had too much of the night before—the same drink that had caused a lot of trouble for her.

"Zuko! That again?! How are you not feeling sick? How much have you had?" Katara groaned and dropped her face into her hands. "La, I can't believe I drank so much of that last night, I must of been as bad as Sokka on cactus juice, I—" and she suddenly stopped because there is was, out in the open: Last Night.

Maybe the Spirits would take pity on her and take her right this instant.

Zuko cleared his throat again and quietly said, "First times can be...interesting. And strange."

Katara simply groaned again into her hands.

"So, uh... what's cactus juice?"

Snorting a laugh, she peeked at him through her hands and shook her head. "You don't even want to know." But slowly, her amusement faded and what had happened loomed in front of her again, so she took a deep breath, straightened and said, "Zuko. Thank you. For being so... you know. Just for... understanding. I know I wasn't the most accepting of you, I mean, I was downright hostile and I had a reason to be too but the point is if you had come to me like that a few months ago, I'd have shut the door on your face and maybe even bent you back to your room for good measure but you didn't and oh La, I'm rambling and okay, so I'll just...stop."

Zuko's hand was suddenly on hers and like his laugh, it was warm; Katara almost didn't hear his reply.

"Katara. I get it. It's fine. Relax." Then he opened her hand and pressed the bottle into it. "Drink."

"You're not trying to get me drunk again, are you?" Katara looked up from the bottle to narrow her eyes at Zuko. "Because I'm not doing that again, no way."

"I'll admit, you're more fun when you're drunk." His smirk slipped a little and he shrugged a shoulder, looking back over the buildings. "And drinking with someone else is also more fun."

"Fine." Katara brought the bottle to her lips and took a small gulp. The liquid burnt all the way down, but it was a good burn and it left her fingers and toes tingly. Of course she took a drink. He had been there for her the previous night, when she was tired and lonely and all over the place. What was one sip and some company in the face of that?

"You know, I never would have believed Zuko, the great Fire Nation Prince was such a tease," she commented as she handed the bottle back to him. "Or is it the alcohol?" She saw him take a swig as well, her gaze fixed on where his mouth touched the bottle's. When he looked at her, his eyes seemed brighter and she bit back a curse because the last time his eyes were this bright, she had been drunk, in her bindings and about to walk into his room in the middle of the night.

"Maybe," he began, voice low and head tilting closer, "it depends on who I'm around." The bottle was back in her hands and some unseen force was bringing it to her mouth for another sip and the whole time she was staring at him and he was staring back. Oh La, what am I doing...

"You get broody and quiet too." What. "You were last night," Stop talking. "before we... uh, you know, with the others."

And then his head was moving back and he looked somewhat confused but then a small chuckle escaped him before he said, "Like I said, maybe it depends on who I'm around."

"Maybe." The bottle was taken from her hands and as he was about to drink, she continued, "Feels weird to be drinking for no reason, huh?"

"Okay," the word was drawn out and Zuko gave her a quizzical smile before lifting the bottle by the neck in front of him and addressing the landscape before them." Here's to... winning the war." Taking a long drink, he handed the bottle back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "How was that?"

"Obvious." Katara smirked, "Here's to being the best waterbending...um...waterbender ever! Even if I'm a woman. And here's to women learning proper waterbending too. Because women are just as good as men, if not better!"

"Ambitious."

Katara thrust the bottle at him with narrowed eyes. "What's wrong with women?"

"Nothing, nothing." Zuko had time to hold his hands up in a placating manner for only a few seconds before he had to take the bottle. "I quite like women," he said with a small laugh before poking her arm. "And that was two in one. Cheater. Here's to regaining my honour."

Katara grabbed the bottle back and poked his arm as well. "Also obvious. Don't be so...obvious. Think outside of the box, Zuko."

"But those are the things I want, things that maybe could actually happen. I'm not going to drink to riding the Unagi with Aang or braiding my hair with Ty Lee or winning an eating competition against Sokka. Agni forbid all of that ever happening," he finished with a mutter.

"Ty Lee? Don't braid your hair with her, braid with me. I braid better, you know. Anyway, here's to all of us always being friends."

"So we're stuck with each other?" asked Zuko.

Katara's smile became a scowl and she elbowed him in the side. "Shut up. That's what I want, and that will happen."

Zuko sniggered in response. "Sokka was right, you really are a hopebender."

"A what?! That's it, he's going to wake up in ice tomorrow. And it'll rain on his head for three days!"

Zuko laughed loudly this time. "And there's the vicious little Katara I know and—uh, alright...here's to peace."

"Here's to family. And friends."

"Here's to going back home."

"Here's to those who died."

"Here's to killing loneliness."

Katara looked at him to see his eyes already on her and it was with a deliberate slowness that he took his drink this time. She still wasn't sure how it was possible but his eyes were burning again—burning warm and steady and intense and just a little wild like she knew fire to be and also burning right through her. There had to be something in the alcohol.

Nevertheless, Katara reached out and took the bottle, saluted and drank as well before repeating his words in a whisper. "Here's to killing loneliness."

And then his face was getting closer and his hand was reaching out and Katara's breath hitched and now she was tingling all over and feeling hot too but then the bottle was taken from her tight grasp and he was frowning at it and what?

"We finished it."

What!

Katara released a long breath and watched Zuko as he placed the bottle aside. This was getting ridiculous. She didn't get all flustered and jumbled and warm because of a boy. Okay, maybe she did, but Jet was different to Zuko and Zuko did not make her feel those things! Nodding resolutely to herself, she slowly began to get up. "I should go. It's getting late."

"No, wait. Stay. Just for a bit longer."

If his voice—soft and close but still gravelly—didn't stop her then the warm hand on her arm did and she was reluctant to look at him because she could feel his face right next to hers. If she looked, she'd be trapped because he was somehow able to make his eyes glow whenever she drank too much which made her want to touch them. Her mind was felt like Appa was sitting on it so she mumbled, "I'm not sure if being alone with you is a good idea."

She could have sworn that his grip tightened a little. "We've been alone this whole time."

That was the plain and simple truth and she could now feel his fingers lightly brushing her arm so in the face of all that, Katara resorted to what she was good at: "Zuko," she admonished.

"Katara." And of course, when he said her name like that, she looked and then she was trapped. She had a feeling he enjoyed trapping her like this and that he would continue to trap her in the future. Damn him.

"Fine. But I better close the door; the breeze disturbs the curtains. Might wake someone up."

"Yes," he said, lips curling up into that same, small grin from before. "You should do that."