Rating: G
Word Count: 618
Aang looked boredly around the party. Well, celebration would be the more fitting word for the affair, since it had none of the fun parties usually had. Parties meant laughter, fun, and relaxation. Celebrations meant polite smiles, stuck-up nobles, and grand, boring speeches that could make him tear his hair out — if he had any.
Also, it didn't help that he had yet to find Katara amongst them.
Normally, he and Katara would arrive at these inevitable celebrations together, and as he walked around making polite talk with the guests, she would stand next to him — or at least within accessible distance — to distract him from the inevitable boredom that would plague him.
But this time, Katara had to go out of the house earlier — something about shopping? He couldn't quite remember — and told him to go out to the celebration without her. All he could recall, however, was the uneasy dread that built up within him, knowing that without her presence, he would probably end up being bored to death.
So far, he had yet to be proven wrong.
A tapping on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts, and he sighed, thinking it was yet another noble who wanted a chance to talk to the great Avatar. He mentally braced himself for a mind-numbing conversation and turned around.
And promptly lost any capability for speech.
Because standing in front of him was, in fact, not a noble, but Katara herself.
And she was beautiful.
Her dress was simple yet elegant, with linings of short white fur that accentuated the oceanic blue of the cloth. Under the warm light of the lanterns, it shimmered; Aang distantly wondered if the cloth was silk. Her face looked as though it were touched up with makeup too; while it didn't cake her entire face, like that time when they infiltrated the Earth King's party, it definitely brought out her bronze skin — which, if nothing else, was even better than covering it up.
"Katara. Wow," he breathed. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was suddenly dry. "You look beautiful."
Katara giggled, undoubtedly from his expression; Aang felt as though his face was on fire. She smiled at him, and he felt his heart flutter in his chest like a trapped bird. "Would the Avatar care to grace me with his presence?" she asked playfully.
What happened next was entirely on instinct.
Aang's hand reached out and took ahold of one of Katara's before pulling it towards him. His waist bowed, and his lips pressed a kiss against the soft flesh on the back of her hand. He heard Katara gasp in surprise, and he looked up at her. "Anything for you, m'lady," he heard himself say.
Katara flushed a bright red. Aang couldn't blame her; even he was still trying to process what just happened. She gave him a hard look, although her lips twitched as though trying not to smile. "Since when did you get so smooth?" she muttered in a faux-resentful way.
Before Aang could respond — not that he thought he could — music filled the hall. He turned to see that the ballroom floor was clear and open for dancing; a few couples have already made it there, and there was still plenty of space left for more.
He turned back to Katara eagerly. "Would the great Master Katara care to join me for a dance?" he asked playfully, stretching out his hand towards her.
A thrill shot through him as Katara accepted just as eagerly. "Anything for you, dear Avatar," she purred, echoing his words back to him.
Aang was no longer bored for the rest of the celebration.
A/N Yay fluff
