Soundtrack: Marine Lights – Valentin Boomes


Luminous

The shadows close around her as the candle between them exhales its last breath, snatching away the last of any real light. Smoke curls through the air like a scarf fluttering in the wind, but it is grey and colourless, and it cannot hold her attention. Everything is colourless in this room—everything except the luminous eyes that meet her own. His irises are gold and so different to her Water Tribe blue, reminding her of the pale suns that she used to see adorning the skies back at the South Pole. The colour is a reflection of the fire that burns within him, but it is so much softer than the molten ambers and brownish-reds she has come to associate with the Fire Nation.

Hands clasp her face, warm and gentle. She does not move; she is transfixed by the colour of his eyes, so bright and mesmerising when set against the dusky greys that surround them. His fingers slip down to the nape of her neck, and she cannot help the shaky breath that escapes her lips. The two of them are so close now—close enough for her to feel the heat of his body caress her skin like the touch of butterfly wings; to see the different shades of gold that paint his irises in a swirl of fire and light. Her mouth is dry and her heart won't stop pounding; it's like a drum that just keeps beating faster and faster, to the point where she can feel her whole body throbbing in time to the rhythm. It is dizzying and terrifying, yet somehow so exhilarating.

"Katara."

His voice is a raspy whisper, but it is also a bell ringing in her heart. It echoes and echoes inside her, calling her forward—calling her to him. Instinctively, she raises her head just as he lowers his own, and for a moment she is lost in a glow of pale gold. Then her eyes slide shut and she feels his lips brush against hers, so light and ephemeral, yet so infinitely right. His fingers tangle in her hair as he deepens the kiss, and it is as if an explosion of colour has been lit inside her. Everything is so bright, so tangible, like white-hot flames coiling their way through her blood. She has never felt so alive.

She has never felt so at one with fire.

There is no such thing as enemies or hate in this moment. There is only the gentle caress of his touch, the intoxicating taste of his kisses, and the golden light that calls her onwards. He is a pale sun warming her frozen world, and she will cling to him forever. She will let him guide her heart home.