Kiss This!

30 Kisses Challenge 16: invincible; unrivaled

Right, this drabble is out of order (last one was number eleven, I think, and this is sixteen), mainly because I started having writer's block for that one and decided to work on this prompt instead. Enjoy!

Against the World

Her breathing was torn and ragged, as was her clothing, but she gave that little care when it came to facing him. Her eyes were tearstained; bloodshot with anger as the warmth of the jungle surrounded her, engulfed her until she felt she could barely breathe. He was too close again, she figured, and she would find a way to push him back forever. Either that, or she would lose herself to the flame--whichever came first.

"Say it." She glared as she pushed away his would-have-been kiss. "Say it. You can't just kiss me and all of our problems go away! You have to say something, damnit!"

He leaned back, a little farther away from her this time, rubbing his bruised lip with care. The moonlight reflected in his gold eyes perfectly, and she realized that it was this she hated about him more than anything else: Zuko never was really good at putting words together, his eyes said everything for him, but sometimes she just needed to hear things: simple, fragile words were a small comfort to her—but they were a comfort, still.

"What is it you want me to say?" He whispered, his back facing her as he turned. "Do you want me to tell you I love you?" Even though he couldn't see it, she nodded slowly: that was exactly what she needed to here.

"Fine." He turned, racing up towards her, grabbing her arms and engulfing her in his, cradling her as if he was afraid she would break. "I love you, Katara." She leaned her head on his shoulder, soaking in what he was saying.

"I love you. I love you more than anything else in the world. I think you're beautiful, I think you're perfect and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, is that what you need to hear?" He pulled her away softly, caressing her face with his hand.

"I don't really know you at all," came his whisper, "But I still love you. And every day that we're still on this God-forsaken island I start to pray that maybe no one will ever find us," He wiped a few traitorous teardrops off of her face with his thumb. "Because I know, I know that as soon as we're found we have to go right back to where we started, and I'm not sure if I can do that."

She reached up and grabbed his hand softly into her own. "It won't go back to the way it was—I—we won't let it. We can't let it."

He scowled. "That's bullshit and you know it, Kat." He leaned his forehead over until it was resting against her own. "The world…doesn't accept people like us, Katara."

She smiled at him softly before she kissed him. "Then we make them accept us."

XXX
END