Zuko's secretly glad he's not the best dancer in the company.
Oh, one day he'd love to be a principle, but for now he's happy with chorus roles, leaping through the Russian Trepak in the yearly production of the Nutcracker.
He's happy because he can watch the coffee dance.
Katara's gorgeous, with skin like mocha that looks perfect in the red costumes they've chosen. He watches only her, as her flexibility and dedication to her craft make her seem to flow from one movement to another like liquid, like coffee pouring from pot to mug.
They're friends - who isn't when you're a chorus dancer and are constantly stripping backstage in front of everyone - and he's glad he can compartmentalize feelings.
He hums the melody all the time behind her, when she's getting ready. She'll spin around and deck him with the pillow she keeps at her makeup station, "totally not for naps."
It's only fair play, since she'll set all his ringtones and alert sounds to the Tea melody, his absolute least favorite.
She's warm to the touch, always, when dancing, as he knows from the few times they've been partners in class. She can laugh at herself, take care of herself, and Zuko's hoping he's half the man he wants to be, because even if he was a better man it still wouldn't be enough.
As he watches her flourish one last time, enjoying her solo moments before they close the show, he realizes he wants to make it enough, because it's not as if she's perfect. She has flaws.
When, after the show, he sees her chatting - more friendly than usual - with one of the more pretentious toy soldiers, Zuko steps up his game.
She's stretching in the warm-up room, alone and thirty minutes early to class when he slips in the door, humming her theme loudly. She looks up with a glare that softens into glee to see him offering her a black coffee with cream and five sugars.
"Are you going to keep this joke running long?" she asks, after the thank yous and one sip punctuated by a drawn-out sigh of contentment.
"Oh yes. I am going to tease you for the rest of your life."
She blinks, before smiling even wider. "Good. Gonna buy my coffee, too?"
He meets her gaze. "If you let me."
Another dancer loudly walks into the room and goes about stretching, so Katara winks at Zuko over her coffee. "We'll negotiate at another date."
"Or on a date?"
"Exactly my idea."
