Through the flames in the camp's fire pit I watch her. My face contorted with shadows and flickering light, my eyes never leave her figure. Her hands in his, a smile on her face as she laughs happily, and I find my own mouth curving a corner upwards. This is one of the first of many times I'm realizing something is there; something to the way her laugh can elicit such small amounts of joy in me. Something to be said for that first time she reached her hands out for my own, our touching sending chills down my spine. Something about the way she looks back at me, a deep understanding I would never expect from a Waterbender; what would she know about Fire?

Suddenly, another pair of eyes flash through my thoughts, tinged in red and gold. What would my father think of such a union? Sure, I've agreed to help overthrow him just by being in this camp, but still, he's my father. My mother, would she have been happy to see me happy, or would her heart break at the very idea? I'm sure she'd be sad I wasn't with a Fire Nation Noble's daughter, as is the tradition, and I'm sure I'd get speeches about 'what would the ancestors think?'

If only you weren't Water Nation. You could have been a peasant from the Fire Nation, and my feelings would still be warranted, but this? I finally turn my gaze away and look at the flames dancing in front of me. This is just a crush, nothing more, something driven by hormones. I'm a stupid teenager, nothing more.

But then I wonder what she would look like in red silk.

Her hair pulled back with curling tendrils cascading to her bare shoulders.

A golden Fire Nation crown resting atop the shining brown locks.

I lick my lips as I glance back up to where she had been, but her blue clad figure had disappeared!

"Hey." I hear her soft voice coo from beside me as I look up to her towering figure. "Wanna dance?" She asks innocently, timidly turning her hand over to expose her palm to me, extending it. I freeze.

Should I take it?

Should I show her how a real man dances?

What would Uncle think?

How would the others act?

I glance around to see everyone else paired up and dancing, Uncle playing his flute blissfully. Sokka and Suki sweeping around in circles, Aang and Toph acting like fools. No one's watching us, no one has even noticed her plight, or heard her innocent question, yet I feel the fear well up inside like crawling insects. I look back to her with a sneer on my face, one that takes over before I even know what's happening.

"Why would I dance with a peasant?" Her fingers close and her hand recoils as she places it near her heart. I realized what I said, but the sneer stays on as she straightens her back, her hand dropping to her side again.

"Yeah, of course." She says sadly, though with as much strength as a woman scorned can have, and turns away, my eyes closing, my heart clenching in my chest.

Now I know; I don't care if she's a peasant. I don't care if she's Water Nation. I care that I just hurt her feelings because of some false pride, pride for people who don't even care about me any longer. I hesitate for a moment, but stand, reaching out to grab her hand before she was out of reach, her expression of surprise making me smile gently. I pull her back towards me, keeping us separated from the others by the bonfire, and put my free hand around her waist, a smile playing on her lips as she looks into my eyes.

I want her to care about me.

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AN: If you're enjoying this at all, let me know!