I'm dedicating this piece to wilderness-writer, who suggested I make one of my comments to her into a drabble.
The Learning Curve
They walked side by side, hands brushing as they stepped through narrow parts of the beaten path. Each time Katara felt those warm fingertips against her skin, she shivered, an electric thrill coursing through her spine.
A waterfall hovered into view and they made a beeline straight for it. Zuko knew how much the delighted Waterbender loved scenic little nooks like this, which was exactly why he'd led her here.
She giggled like a schoolgirl as she ran to the shore, bending a small wave in her wake and playfully splashing the prince across the face. His eyes widened in surprise and he rushed her, countering her attack with a splash of his own.
They laughed and splashed and got tangled up each other's arms until Zuko was holding the flushed girl still, one arm around her waist, the other around her shoulders.
Their eyes met, cold blue burning into bright gold, and Katara's heart fluttered, seeing his gaze flicker to her parted lips.
He leaned forward and she closed her eyes. They'd been wanting, waiting so long for each other…
The world disappeared when they embraced. They stood for what seemed like a long time, lips locked, arms around each other.
And when they finally came up for air, they mirrored one another's disappointed, disgusted, horrified looks.
"What have you been EATING?" Zuko smacked, frowning, tongue lolling out.
"You're one to talk! You taste like ashes!" Katara countered, wiping the slimy wetness from her lips.
"No, seriously, what do you do? Eat rotting fish?" He made a face, rubbing ineffectually at his lips.
"Well, maybe if you hadn't been trying to choke me with your tongue, you wouldn't need a breath mint so bad!" Katara cried back.
"So what was with the sucking? I'm not a lollipop!" He gingerly poked at his sore tongue.
"I was trying to breathe! If your long, pointy nose wasn't mashed against mine, I wouldn't be gasping for air! And where do you think your hands were going? If you'd gone any farther south, you would have found my knee in your south pole!"
"That was my first kiss, and you ruined it!" He shouted.
"No, YOU ruined MY first kiss!" Katara screamed back.
"Peasant!"
"Brat!"
"Wench!"
"You arrogant, stubborn, anal-retentive, psychotic—"
Katara quickly discovered that Zuko was a fast learner.
Everyone go read Dangerous Ground. Wilderness-writer's kissing scene is better than a chocolate-covered Zuko.