WARNING: This chapter contains some spice at the end. It's only a few paragraphs, and it's still rated T (I think), but probably on the higher end, so if this makes you uncomfortable you may want to nope out when they enter the closet.

Katara healed quickly with Aang's help. She taught him how to help her stretch and gave him some physical exercises he could help her with. Within a day or two she was back to walking on her own, and though she still felt tired and muddled, she was glad for more independence.

Aang had all but refused to leave her side. He stopped going to meetings with Zuko in the leadup to the conference, devoting time to Katara's healing. He even tried to get Katara to sleep on the couch in the private sitting room they all shared so he could watch over her at night, clearly still worried about the after-effects of the poison. On impulse, she told him, "I'm not going to sleep on the couch, but if you want to come watch over me in my bed you're more than welcome," to which they had both blushed furiously. Tellingly, though, Aang had sat on a chair in her room and watched over her while she slept the last couple nights.

On the third day after her awakening, she rose to find Aang dozing once again in the chair beside her bed, his forehead crinkled adorably in the middle of his arrow. She reached out to smooth the wrinkles, wanting to soothe whatever was worrying him in his sleep. At the touch of her hand, his eyelids fluttered open.

"Hi," he whispered, voice still gravelly with sleep, but the joy on his face was clear and bright. He cleared his throat.

"Hi," she said back, a smile leaking from her, pulled like the tide by the power of the moon. Katara liked waking up to him. She liked it a lot. She almost didn't want to be completely healed, because then he would stop sleeping in her room with her. She took a sharp breath and chided herself for thinking this way, quickly turning her attention back to Aang. "You looked so worried in your sleep—were you having a bad dream?"

Aang frowned, looking off to the side as if trying to recall the fragments of dream that were slipping into the mist. "I think…" His words were interrupted by a big yawn, and Katara watched every muscle dance as he stretched. "I think I was dreaming that you hadn't woken up yet. I can't remember everything, but I remember being worried you would never wake up."

Katara caressed his face gently and he looked up at her with big, sad eyes. "I know the feeling," she said. She had nearly drowned in that fear more than once on that Fire Nation ship during the war. "But we're both okay, now. We're both here and awake and alive and together, and that's what matters."

"Katara, I…"

"Come on," she said. "Let's get breakfast." She slowly pulled the covers back and moved her legs to the side of the bed so she could get up, grabbing clothes and going into the attached bathroom before Aang could respond.

Something like nerves had begun to curl in her chest when she said "together." It wasn't the first time, either, but the thought of their carefully built facade shattering around her brought a visceral reaction that threatened to take hold of her entire body. Her palms were clammy as she pulled on fresh clothes, and her mind was racing; her nerves tightening on her heart like a vice.

She was afraid Aang was going to remind her, again, that they weren't actually together. Or that he was going to break off their fake relationship. That he was going to say they should end this now before anything else happened to either of them. Or worse, that they should end it because he didn't enjoy their time together, or found her repulsive, or…

Stop it, Katara. You know that's not true, she scolded herself as she brushed her teeth. She looked in the mirror as she combed and braided her hair, trying to think of which style Aang liked best, fluttermoths dancing at the thought of his reaction. Now you're just being ridiculous, she told herself. She thought of the way he'd said, "Katara's hair? What's up with that?" in that Fire Nation village and how insecure she'd felt.

But she also remembered all the times he'd looked at her with something like adoration in his eyes: when she'd changed into her more revealing Fire Nation outfit for the first time, any time she'd gotten all dressed up for a ball, and most recently, when he'd taken her to the theater, right before she accidentally kissed him in front of their friends. Maybe he did find her attractive?

She felt so confused.

When she came out of the bathroom, Aang was gone, but her bed was made. She smiled at the sweet gesture and went to find him. She was just about to knock on the door to his room when the door opened and Aang nearly walked right into her, seemingly preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Katara stared at him for a moment, frozen but smiling. Aang didn't move for a breath either, and then he slid past her, shutting his door and reaching his hand behind his neck that way he always did.

"Uh… um… Sorry," he sputtered.

"It's okay, Aang," she said bashfully. "Breakfast?" She held out her arm out of habit, even though she didn't need his help to walk anymore.

Aang looped his strong arm through hers anyway. "Breakfast," he agreed, as they started walking towards the private dining room. She leaned her head against his shoulder absent-mindedly, and she could have sworn she felt Aang nuzzle her hair. When she looked up at him, though, he was staring straight ahead, stone-faced. She must have imagined it.

When they got to breakfast, their friends were already in a heated discussion. Katara caught the words "ball" and "not safe" and "are you out of your Koh-damned mind?!" as Zuko and Sokka shouted at each other from across the table. Aang quickly walked her to her seat and then stood between the two friends.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said loudly. He was using his Avatar Voice; the one that always made whoever was around him stop in their tracks. Katara swooned a little inside. "What's going on, here?!"

"This idiot is letting his advisors talk him into a ball to end the trade conference next week!" Sokka shouted, gesticulating wildly. "Can you believe it?! After everything that just happened?!"

"It will be good for palace morale," Zuko justified. "Everyone has been on edge since the investigations, and there will be a lot of people from different nations, not just Fire Nation nobles and politicians. Your dad will be here, as well as representatives from the North and from the Earth Kingdom. It's a chance to mingle and maybe even eliminate—or at least challenge—some of the hurtful wartime stereotypes."

"And for someone to sneak in and poison everybody…" Sokka muttered under his breath.

"We can't hide under a rock forever," Suki soothed, placing a hand on her boyfriend's arm. "We will all be on high alert. The palace security team already has a plan in place."

Katara didn't know what to think. On one hand, they had literally just escaped a near-deadly experience. On the other, she knew Suki was right. They couldn't hide forever, and she did love going to balls with Aang…

"I still think it's a bad idea," Sokka said, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair. "We haven't even tracked down all the people who were involved in the last assassination attempt. We know there are still plenty of Ozai loyalists out there. I don't see how this doesn't end in disaster. What do you think, Aang?"

Aang chewed the inside of his lip. He took his time answering—Katara could tell he was thinking everything over very carefully. His forehead was crinkled in the same way it had been when she woke up that morning.

"I trust Zuko and Suki to come up with a plan to keep everyone safe," he said, finally. When Sokka opened his mouth to contest, Aang held up his hand, wordlessly asking his friend to wait. "I know it's scary right now, and the last thing I want is Katara or anyone else getting hurt again. I want to be involved in the security plans, though. I think you should be, too, Sokka. Katara, you can if you want, but…"

"No, that's okay," Katara said quickly. She could tell he was deferring to her out of respect for her independence, but she knew she needed to take care of herself first. Especially right now. The last thing she needed was more stress. "I know I need the rest and planning is way more up Sokka's alley than mine."

Everyone turned to Sokka. He was scratching the scruff on his chin and looking off into space. "I still don't like it," he admitted. "But if I can help with the security plans, maybe we can at least minimize the risks. Okay, fine, we'll have a ball. Just don't expect me to be happy about it. I'm going to be so on edge the whole time."

"I think we all are," Katara agreed. "But it could be fun, too." She glanced at Aang, mouth quirking up into a small smile. A wave of heat went through her when he returned it. "We have a whole week to prepare. And we'll have Dad and everyone else. We made it through the war together, you guys. We can make it through one ball—I know we can."

The week passed in a blur, with the conference beginning and taking most of everyone's time, and security planning taking up most of the evenings. Katara hardly saw Aang or her friends during that time, outside of the few meetings she attended as a Water Tribe representative, but she finally felt completely like herself again.

Her favorite times of day were the late evenings spent all together in the private sitting room, going over everything that had happened, personal notes on various officials, and generally decompressing from the stresses of being so formal during the day. Aang would sit on the floor, legs crossed and head leaning back into her lap as she relaxed on the couch, and she passed cool water over his temples to lighten his headaches. Katara couldn't help but wonder if these simple touches meant as much to Aang as they did to her. She was careful to keep everything in check, now, but still couldn't help but feel that something had shifted between them. She just couldn't put her finger on what or how, and it only added to her confusion about where they stood.

Hakoda often brought her food during the day, since he knew she was avoiding the large, crowded conference meals, and he was keen to catch up with his daughter after a few months away. "Sokka told me about how you're helping Aang deal with the… pressures… being put upon him by various leaders," he said awkwardly one afternoon. It was the middle of the week, and he had just brought a steaming bowl of stew and some rice to share with her in her room. They were sitting at a small table near her window, which overlooked one of the private palace gardens. Hakoda pointedly kept looking out at the sparrowkeets that kept loudly twittering in one of the trees there. "That's very kind of you, Katara."

"It's not fair, what they're trying to do to him," Katara grimaced. She took another bite of her stew and followed her father's eyes out to the garden.

"I don't want you to, erm, feel pressured either, though," Hakoda said. "You're both young and have the right to live your lives as kids for a while, despite what others might say or think. You had that unfairly taken from you by war."

Katara knew her father meant well, but she wasn't a kid anymore and hadn't been. She was eighteen and well past marrying age, but what's more, she had been acting like an adult in their village and in the world for more than half her life now. Her mother had been gone for a full decade. Her heart squeezed in her chest to remember how long she'd had to live without Kya already. How many more milestones she would have to go through without her still.

She thought about how distraught Aang had been when she was poisoned. How she had acted when Aang was in a coma after Ba Sing Se. Suddenly, her father's sullenness and withdrawal after Kya's death made much more sense, and his eventual need to go fight the war that had stolen his wife. She reached out and put her hand on his.

Hakoda looked at her. He was smiling, but she could see sadness in his crystal blue eyes, and she took in the crow's feet and the deep wrinkles that lined his face, now. The war had stolen more than his wife from him.

"Thanks, Dad," she said earnestly. "I don't feel pressured, and I won't do anything I don't agree with one hundred percent—you know that. I'm just helping Aang right now."

Hakoda looked like he wanted to say more, but held back. She thought about asking if Sokka had told him about how she really felt, but then Hakoda squeezed her hand and nodded, and swiftly changed the subject to her thoughts on the proposed Southern trade routes and the tariffs the other countries wanted to impose. That conversation would have to wait, she supposed.

The next days flew by, and suddenly it was the last day of the conference. There were final meetings all morning, followed by a large formal luncheon and then everyone had the afternoon free to get dressed and prepared for the closing ball. Katara opted to attend the luncheon, as all the security plans were already in place for the evening.

Sokka and Suki were nowhere to be seen, probably caught up in making sure it all went according to plan. Katara even caught a glimpse of the everpresent knives up Mai's sleeves as she entered the grand dining room with the bustling crowd. Mai had the slightest smirk on her face that made Katara believe the show was intentional—a subtle warning to all those that entered.

Katara was thankful for the opportunity to sit by Aang's side at lunch. She had been separated from him for seemingly the entire week, other than those brief moments in the evenings, and though she had been just fine on her own, it didn't stop her from missing the calming presence of her best friend. When she finally found her seat, he shot her a winning smile of joy and relief that told her he probably felt the same way.

He embraced her warmly, loudly (proudly?) exclaiming how glad he was that she was here. "I missed you so much, Sweetie," he said, and both their cheeks heated up. Had he just said that out loud? In front of all these people? Did… did he just call her "Sweetie?" Katara's heart melted a little, even while knowing he was probably trying to sell their relationship and maybe stave off a few overzealous nobles.

She recovered quickly, reaching up to caress his face. "I missed you, too," she said honestly, going up on her toes for a quick kiss. She really had missed the open physicality that had begun to feel normal and expected in public. They hadn't appeared together outside of the private wing of the palace since their visit to the theater two weeks ago.

Aang held her to him for probably longer than necessary, but she didn't mind. In fact, she celebrated it. Especially when he dipped his head and she could feel his hot breath against her ear. Nope, definitely do not mind this closeness, she thought as pleasant shivers ran down her spine.

Eventually they had to pull away and take their seats, and Aang had to continue greeting everyone else who came up to the table to shake his hand. He seemed so excited to introduce Katara to each of them, though. They would come with the intention of speaking only with the Avatar and wouldn't get to leave until he had told them of all her accolades. How she had been single-handedly bringing waterbending back to the South Pole. All her advances in healing and medical research. How kind and generous and beautiful she was. His face lit up the entire time he was speaking of her, and Katara had never felt so cherished or appreciated.

The meal itself was happily uneventful, even though Aang kept stubbornly insisting on testing her food. He kept finding reasons to hold her hand, and he scooted his chair closer to her between lunch and dessert so that he could wrap his arm around her, pressing his lips to her hair more than once while they waited and made smalltalk with those around them. She so terribly wanted to just fall into him like they had before the play, but she knew this wasn't the time or the place.

Aang walked her back to the private wing after lunch. Zuko and Mai and Hakoda all accompanied them. Katara knew she needed to let go of Aang's arm once they passed the guards that stood sentry outside the doors to their wing, but the emptiness that followed sank deep into her bones.

They separated into their own spaces to get ready, then. Palace seamstresses had visited everyone earlier in the week to take measurements and present options, so that no one would need to leave the palace to find suitable clothing. When Katara closed the door, she found a beautiful blue two piece lehenga choli hanging by the window. The short top had cap sleeves and was a shimmering satin blue, and the full, flowing skirt was covered with elaborately embroidered yellow suns and silver moons. There was also a bright yellow dupatta with matching royal blue accents, which was styled to be worn the same way Aang wore his traditional sash.

Katara took her time getting ready, examining every detail in the mirror over and over again and changing her hair at least four times. She finally settled on the half-up style she typically opted for in the Fire Nation, knowing that the humidity wouldn't cooperate with her thick, wavy locks. She carefully pinned her hair loops back into the bun behind her head. Once satisfied, she pulled out her makeup case and began to distractedly apply bits of paint and blush, but her mind was on one thing and one thing only: how Aang would react when he saw her.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Her heart started to pound and she internally derided herself for being so nervous, even as she tripped over her water pouch on her way to answer the door. "Who is it?" she called, just to be safe.

"It's me," Aang said from the other side of the door, and the comfortable, casual baritone of his voice coated her like molasses. She opened the door and stood before him with a shy smile, feeling her face heat up when his eyes raked up and down her frame and his mouth dropped open slightly.

Katara giggled as Aang shook his head a little, and a beautiful blush covered his face and neck. She took the opportunity to trail her eyes along his body, then, noticing that he was wearing the same robes she had bought him for his birthday. His birthday seemed like an eternity ago, now, when in reality it had only been about a month since they'd begun their charade. Time was moving in disorienting ways.

"You look amazing, Katara," Aang breathed, reaching out to thumb at the fabric of her dupatta. "I love these colors on you."

"Blue and yellow go great together, don't they?" Katara asked, grinning. "You look great, too, by the way. I'm so glad you like these robes."

"They're so comfortable," Aang admitted.

"You're probably going to need new ones before your next birthday, though, the way you've been growing recently."

Aang perked up proudly. "I'm gonna be tall," he exclaimed. Katara laughed at his antics, but she felt a pull in her stomach as she thought about an even taller Aang. She bit her lip.

Aang withdrew his hand abruptly, eyes wide when he realized he was still toying with the fabric at her shoulder. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um… are you ready?"

He held out his arm for her to take, and she gladly accepted. "Let's do this," she said.

Everything ran smoothly, and thanks to Sokka and Suki and Zuko's planning, there wasn't even the slightest hint of a threat anywhere. Aang and Katara ate and danced and laughed, and even chatted up various diplomats and nobles throughout the evening. They had just finished yet another energetic dance, stunning the other partygoers, when Katara decided to go get them something cool to drink. They were both covered with a sheen of sweat.

"I'll be right back," she said, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. His cheeks bloomed scarlett again; it made her heart sing every time she managed to do that to him. He waved at her as she walked away, and she giggled to herself, almost skipping to the refreshment table.

She was just about to grab two glasses of iced wine when Mai caught her attention.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked, grinning. Katara cringed internally when she remembered that Mai had been present when she kissed Aang in the palace that night, but quickly recovered.

"I am," she said confidently. "It's been really nice to get out again, actually. And the food was delicious."

"Every ingredient was tested before the chefs could even cook with it," Mai explained. "And we had metal chopsticks to check for poison before any dish made it out of the kitchen. You wouldn't believe how many people were working back there tonight."

"Well, I'm glad it all turned out so well," Katara said.

"The recent investigations mean there aren't so many Avatar fangirls here, either," Mai said, taking a glass of iced wine for herself and sipping slowly on it. "That's got to be a plus."

Katara smiled in agreement. Mai was right—there hadn't been a single interruption yet from a jealous fangirl, and Aang and Katara had been having much more fun as a result. They'd been able to dance without anyone else cutting in, and have conversations with various nobles without anyone drooling over him. Just then, though, Katara looked up to find a gaggle of girls approaching Aang across the room, whispering to each other behind ornate fans.

"Oh, Tui and La," Katara swore. "Well, there aren't as many, but here they come, now. Sorry, Mai. I gotta go."

"Go save your man," Mai cheered her on, lifting her glass in Katara's direction. Katara turned back and smiled at her, before rushing off to Aang.

She was too late. The girls had already swarmed around him, and she saw one actually reach out to caress his bicep as she complimented him on how strong he was. Aang was trying to back away, stammering about having a girlfriend, when another girl walked behind him and tried to hug him as he crashed into her. He mumbled an apology, trying to find an escape, when his eyes finally found Katara's just out of reach and he jumped up with a blast of air.

"Sorry girls, gotta run!" he called, as he whisked Katara away.

"They're following us," Katara whispered, turning around to see the group walking briskly behind them, calling out more questions for Aang. "What do we do?"

Aang looked ahead of them, taking in the situation and their surroundings. Katara guessed he was probably looking for an escape route. Suddenly his footsteps held more purpose and he was pulling her in one direction, towards a small door near the back entrance to the ballroom.

"In here," he whispered, opening the door and then quickly shutting it.

It was… dark. Very dark. Aang lit a flame in his hand to get a glimpse of the space, and it appeared to be a closet of some kind. There was very little room to stand between the walls, which were lined with shelves of tablecloths and centerpieces. Suddenly, Katara realized just how tight of a space it was. She was practically pressed against Aang from knee to chest. She tried to take a respectable step back, and bumped her head on a shelf.

"Avatar Aang, we know you're in there! Come out!" came the girls' voices from the other side of the door.

"Sorry, I'm… uh… a little busy here," Aang called back, looking at Katara mischievously. "We should pretend to make out," he whispered in her ear, extinguishing the flame in his hand and threading an arm around her back, flattening his hand against the bare skin under her dupatta, pulling her back into him. "That should scare them away."

Katara couldn't see his face, but she could feel his hot breath coming out in puffs from his nose. She may not have seismic sense like Toph, but she understood now how everything else could be heightened in the absence of sight. Every nerve ending seemed to be buzzing. Every inch of skin he touched felt like it was on fire. She was sure Aang could hear her heart's loud drum beat against her chest.

"We should actually kiss," Katara breathed in return. So that our lips are red and swollen when we get out was what she planned to say to justify her thinly veiled desperation to Aang. It wasn't necessary—his lips were already on hers and their mouths parted with such ease it drew from her a throaty gasp instead.

"Good idea, they should probably hear some noise," he groaned against her cheek. Katara's knees buckled, and she felt his arms tighten around her in response. She leaned back with another needy whine, letting him turn them and pin her against the door with a deep thud. Their kiss became messy, deep, frenetic. It was mindless bliss for both teenagers, heaving on a hormonal precipice with no return.

"And if we were making out," she whispered breathlessly, "you would tangle your hands in my hair and ruffle it up a bit." Aang complied immediately. He made a sound somewhere between a moan and a whimper into her mouth as he fisted some of her hair to tug her neck open to him, and a jolt of electricity shot straight to her core.

"I would probably mark you," he said against the shell of her ear.

"Aang—YES," she moaned, drawing him against her hastening pulse, going so weak against the sting of his bite that he needed to scoop her up by her trembling thighs. His hands squeezed and quivered, and he moaned loudly into her neck.

"I would need to push my dress up so you could hold me like this," she murmured, eyes shut in rapture as she shimmied her skirt up to her waist and hooked her legs behind his back. Suddenly they were rocking against each other as she breathed his exhale, and he hers; their beings fusing under the heat of this kiss.

She realized with a gasp that their centers were lined up perfectly beneath her skirt, and that she could feel a distinct bulge against her core. Her eyes flew open and she tried in vain to look at Aang, to see what his face was saying. She knew they were putting on a show for the girls outside, but those girls couldn't see him, now. They couldn't feel his need grinding against hers. Katara's heart was beating so fast she thought it might fly out of her chest. Was this… did he actually want her? The same way she so badly wanted him?

His desire in full alignment with her beating center, their noise was raucous, their self-control forgotten. Aang went sloppy against her throat again, hands creeping upwards. Katara arched in search of friction, dizzied by the pleasure she felt when she rolled her hips against his hardness.

"Maybe I would—" he paused just as his hand cupped a breast, his thumb hovering over her eager, aching nipple. "What are we DOING?!"

WHEW! Wow, we're here! Realizations are being made, FINALLY. As always, but even moreso for this chapter, IMMENSE thanks to CoyoteLemon for her amazing work beta-ing this fic. She had a HUGE hand in the closet scene, and even wrote a large chunk of it herself, one feral day a million years ago (ok not that long, but it feels like it). Let me know what you think! We only have one chapter to go, now, which will be posted next Monday. Thank you so much for reading!