Few things in life made Zuko feel like an awkward gangly teenager, and with Sokka and Suki's wedding in a few days, it seemed like Zuko was experiencing all of them. For some reason, he kept getting dragged along on shopping trips where Sokka asked his opinion about party favors and food and color combinations. Zuko had the distinct impression that Sokka was fishing for information, especially when he started asking who Zuko would be bringing and refusing to accept the answer "myself."

Or maybe he knew that Zuko was going to put this off until the last possible moment. But he didn't. Not quite.

Nervously bunching the end of his shirt, Zuko tried to focus on his task. It was three days before the wedding, and now Suki was asking him who he was going to bring, and he really did have a specific person in mind, but everyone was acting like it was such a simple thing to just ask her. Well, really, it was a simple thing, but it was also really complicated and what if he messed it up, but she was just a friend and they were just going as friends and, really, this was only to make Sokka and Suki stop asking him. And also maybe to get his uncle to stop asking if he needed any help. And also maybe to get Hakoda to stop suggesting people. And also maybe because Gran Gran kept suggesting one person in particular and threatening to ask on his behalf. Why the hell was he so nervous?

Katara dried her hands on her apron then leaned against the kitchen counter, tilting her head to the side. Zuko blinked dumbly a few times, trying not to think of all the ways this could go horribly, incredibly wrong. He started twisting the ends of his shirt even more. When Katara frowned at him, slapping his hands so he'd stop, he started nervously rubbing the back of his head. This earned him a stern look as Katara put her fists on her hips and stamped her foot. He'd talked to her for far too many years to be this nervous, had asked her entirely too many questions during their friendship to be unable to figure out how to ask this one. Simple. Thing.

"Zuko, stop it, seriously, what's gotten into you—"

"Nothing, it's just that, you know… Sokka and Suki are getting married in a few days, you know. Of course you know, he's your brother and you've been helping with the planning, so of course you know. It's…I mean, Gran Gran said I should…I mean…Sokka told me, too, and he said that if I didn't bring someone, he'd set me up with someone, and it's not that Sokka's friends aren't nice, they're very nice people, but…I just…"

"He wants you to be his date for the wedding," Kanna said, walking into the kitchen with a sack of rice.

Zuko winced, but did his best to give Katara a smile, even though his palms were sweating like crazy, and he was sure he'd pass out. They were friends, right? Even if he felt his blood ignite when he was near her sometimes, they were still friends.

"Thanks," he mumbled, not daring to take his eyes away from Katara.

"You're welcome," Kanna said, patting him on the back as she exited.

Sometimes, Katara didn't like to let on just how excited she was about something. He could always tell by the way she struggled not to smile, how she'd shift from foot to foot, resolutely keeping her arms at her sides. He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath until she smiled at him, brilliantly, dazzling, her eyes lighting up as she bounced on the tips of her toes before settling down. His entire body relaxed, except for the fluttering in the pit of his stomach, and Zuko could feel his cheeks heating up again.

"I'd love to," she said, straining to sound calm. "I'm sure it would be a lot of fun."

He was probably being a little dramatic, but it felt like his heart stopped when she smiled at him. It really had been a simple thing, and a little voice in his mind said that he was silly for thinking she might say no.

"Katara, I…"

She was looking down at the ends of her apron, playing with a loose string, her cheeks bright red. She was trying not to smile, and when she looked at him, Zuko was certain that his heart did stop. He'd known her for eight years. He knew everything about her, knew secrets she wouldn't even tell her brother. He'd seen her at her most vulnerable and at her angriest. He'd been the target of that anger more times than he should admit, too. So why was his brain fighting against him, now? If he ever needed a clear mind so that he wouldn't mess up this one chance…

"I…haven't gotten a present for Sokka yet," Katara said, pulling the thread and unraveling the seam. "I was wondering if you'd help me? The two of you are such good friends, and I don't know if I'd get him the right thing."

"You're his sister. You'll always know him better than I will."

The words were out before he'd had time to process just what she was asking, and by the time one smile faded and was replaced by another, sly one, Zuko's face was already as red as his crown and he wanted nothing more than to take a swim in the arctic ocean. Groaning, Zuko tried to run away, to save what little dignity he had left, but before he could take two steps, Katara threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Her laugh was soft and caring, not mocking at all, as she laid her head on his shoulder and whispered that he was such a dork. Zuko wrapped his arms around her, almost feeling light headed.

"We'll go tomorrow."

"Can we go today?" she whispered. "I can't wait that long."

Words were too hard just then, so he nodded. Katara kissed his cheek before practically skipping out of the kitchen, and Zuko sank into a chair, his face hurting from smiling so much, completely unable to care that his uncle "just so happened" to be walking past the kitchen.

The ceremony was beautiful.

It had been a priority to rebuild the South, and with the help of Northern waterbenders and Earth Kingdom engineers, the tribe that had once been little more than a smattering of people clinging to an iceberg had blossomed into a bustling city. Every time Katara visited, it reminded her more and more of the stories Gran Gran used to tell her as a child, and it absolutely delighted her that she was able to share this with her friends. There wasn't a more perfect setting for Sokka and Suki's wedding.

Everyone was gathered along a ridge, the highest point of the settlement, the full moon and bright stars providing the perfect backdrop for the ceremony. Sokka stood tall, never taking his eyes off Suki as Northern and Southern village elders asked the ancestors for blessings and threw colored powders into the great bonfire in front of them. Sokka whispered something to Suki, and she started to cry again, her smile even wider than it was before, as Hakoda put a dagger in their hands. He bound them together with a length of leather, and three times they circled the fire as drums beat out a steady, low rhythm. When this was done, the elders stepped back and the Fire Sage who'd escaped with them stepped forward. He lit incense and drew a few characters with the smoke trails, then anointed them with ash.

Katara snuggled even closer to Zuko, trying to keep her imagination under control, but when Zuko tightened his arm around her, she couldn't help feeling a deep something inside of her. She promised herself again that she would wait until the wedding was over, keep her distance if she had to, then rethink things. There was too much at risk to rush into this blindly, and she wanted to be sure, because there were some people she couldn't live without.

"This is amazing," Zuko whispered.

He babbled about the moon and the stars and the fire and the colors and all the nations coming together to bless Sokka and Suki, but when she turned toward him, he wasn't watching the festivities. Beautiful golden eyes were watching her, and his smile was so warm and happy, and the way he looked at her made her question why she'd ever waited so long to admit anything to herself. She watched him as he talked, admiring the way he looked in his deep blue parka and his red and gold crown, idly wondering if he'd wear more blue if she told him how handsome he looked.

"You're beautiful," he blurted.

No compliment had ever meant more to her, and Katara desperately wanted to not be one of those girls with their heads in the clouds, full of nothing but men, but for the past three days, amongst the chaos of final wedding preparations and battle plans and negotiations, she'd been happy and her mind had been full of Zuko. If this was to be a brief interlude in the turmoil that was their lives, so be it.

King Kuei was waddling forward, bundled head to toe like a child in an overstuffed green coat. He held a basket of flowers, and his advisors had to remind him to speak louder several times as he stumbled through an Earth Kingdom blessing, ringing Sokka and Suki with brightly colored petals. Then it was Iroh's turn, and he spoke about the customs of the Air Nomads, about the winds of change and prosperity. With a fan, he created little puffs of air in an intricate pattern, chanting something softly with a slight smile. The cadence of his words reminded Katara of the way Appa beat his tail against the ground the night Aang had died. No matter how much she wanted to forget the unbelievable sadness of that night, she knew that she never would, and when she sniffled, Zuko gently wiped away her tears. His smile was sad; they'd tried to explain to the others how Appa's song managed to get inside of you, to make you feel the loss the way he did, and understand the depth of their relationship, but they'd never been able to find the words. Zuko started to say something, opening his mouth slightly, but changing his mind. He squeezed her tightly as they turned back to the ceremony. Her father had been right. Each year, the pain dulled a little more, and she could focus on Aang's life, rather than his death.

After Iroh was finished, powders were handed to Sokka and Suki. With their joined hands, they tossed the green and blue powders into the fire, and the blaze shot up, everyone exclaiming in delight, clapping loudly as the drums started a new, up-tempo beat. Everyone was bathed in a brilliant blue-green light as they cheered. Katara clapped loudly for her brother as he kissed his wife. With the ceremony over, it was time for the feast, which was undoubtedly everyone's favorite part. The drummers led the procession, Sokka and Suki following. Katara grabbed Zuko's arm when he tried to join the masses heading for the Great Hall.

They waited as the crowd headed to the feast, standing in the growing silence until there were only a few stragglers left. Heart racing, Katara threw her arms around Zuko's neck and kissed him, hoping like she never hoped before that she understood him and could read his moods and emotions. He hesitated only a moment before kissing her back, his hands at her waist, and Katara felt limp and lightheaded, but refused to let go, to let this moment end. A deep part of her wanted to believe that it was just emotion brought out by a beautiful ceremony, that they would just be part of a group making questionable decisions that night. That would be easier than confronting the fear and the possibility of a dark future that waited for them.

"I'm sorry," Katara said breathlessly, her lips tingling. "I just—"

Zuko didn't give her a chance to finish, one hand at her waist, the other under her chin as he kissed her again. She could feel his warmth through his parka, like a pleasant fire, and she pulled him closer, her heart thundering against her chest. Zuko's knees buckled, but he didn't let her go, crushing her against him, and she deepened the kiss, all doubt suppressed for the moment.

When they finally pulled apart, they were both red and panting and smiling, and several times Zuko tried to say something. Neither one of them could find words, so they just laughed until they were doubled over, the fire still roaring behind them. And when the laughter died away, they kissed again.

By the time they made it to the Great Hall, the feast had been in full swing for hours, the noise almost deafening as another toast was being made to Sokka and Suki. It didn't take long for Hakoda and Iroh to spot them, and from the way they were smiling and whispering conspiratorially, Katara figured it would be better to get to them sooner rather than later. She tried to pull away, quickly thinking of something to tell them that would keep all meddling to a minimum, but Zuko held her hand.

"Let them think what they want," he said, leaning down so she could hear him.

When she tried to protest, he pulled her to him and kissed her, and one thought stood out in her mind:

This feels right.