****DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NOR CLAIM TO OWN ANY PART OF AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED FOR THE ORIGINAL OWNERS.****

Pride

1.) a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

Her hand pressed lightly against the bare flesh of his shoulder; he didn't turn around or jerk away, but his muscles tensed beneath her fingers.

He sighed, and relaxed. Her hand moved from his shoulder, gliding down his chest as she moved her form against his body, pressing herself to his back, nothing but the flimsy silk of her robes and his trousers separating them from each other. She rested her chin on his shoulder, and turned her head inwards, placing tiny kisses along the line of his neck.

"What's wrong?" She asked him in a voice just barely above a whisper, her nimble fingers tracing the muscular bare flesh of his arms, his chest, his back. He sighed again, and closed his eyes, arching his neck to the side, allowing his forehead to come to rest against hers. His fingers caressed her cheek softly.

"It's just… it's that I visited Father today." He told her, his voice void of any form of emotion.

It was Katara's turn to tense, and she almost pulled away, but Zuko's hand caught her by the waist, pulling her back onto their bed. He turned his body to face her, his golden eyes locking on her fierce, blue ones; the beginning of a protective veil, blocking him out of her soul, was forming across them. His hand caught hers, and he intertwined their fingers. She didn't try to pull away again, but she didn't return his reassuring squeeze.

Zuko stared at their tangled fingers, observing the contrast of their skin tones even in the limited light, which was complete darkness, save for the flickering of several candles scattered in various places around their room. The two of them were so different in every possible way, each other's polar opposite. There were so many people after the war who believed them to be completely wrong for each other because of this reason, because of their differences. But this, in fact, was what made their relationship work. Their differences made their love fiercer, more passionate.

"I wasn't going to tell you. I don't want to now. I just… Katara everyone in your family has accepted our engagement, no one that you love is objecting to us… they're actually supportive." He paused, not quite able to look his beloved in the face. "It's not that I thought Azula and Father would accept us… I just wanted… I don't know what I wanted. I guess I was hoping that at least for once I could make someone proud of me."

His shoulders dropped again, and he felt exhaustion seep into him, his skin acting as a sponge, soaking up every ounce of stress that he had blocked out over the past few days, weeks, and even years; it had been hovering above him patiently, like a blood- thirsty spider- bat. Katara waited a moment, and then she crawled over towards her fiancé, pulling his chin up, catching those beautiful molten that made her heart melt with her eyes. She allowed a small smile to grace her lips, her blue eyes twinkling in the candlelight, and she pulled his chin upwards, slowly bringing his lips to meet hers. It was a soft kiss that eventually escalated into a fierce and ferocious dance; lips pressed hungrily against the other, their breaths coming in quick pants, the echoes of their moans slicing through the silence of the night. Zuko pushed her backwards, until her back was laying flat against the bed, the soft silk of the rumpled scarlet and orange colored sheets grazing her skin softly, and then he was above her, flush with her chest. Before she lost her train of thought, she pulled away, allowing at least a mouthful of oxygen to be carried to her brain, giving her at least one coherent thought.

"I'm proud of you. I'm so, so proud of you. You've rebuilt a world in ruins, you've given people hope. You've given me hope that I never thought I'd be able to have again, and I love you for it." She breathed.

She stared at him above her, watching as his eyes filled with something more than the mere lust that had occupied them before. Love and adoration filled his irises, with unmistakable clarity. A smile found its way to his face, and without a word he lowered his lips to hers once more, and the dance continued, with a gentler, more passionate tempo.

****Hey guys! Ok, so I wrote this in haste, and edited even faster, so there are bound to be PLENTY of mistakes. I needed an excuse to escape the stubborn, evil grip of my homework this weekened. Haha. ;) But I hope you enjoyed this drabble, because I had fun writing it. :) Drop me a review if you don't mind; tell me what you think!

Love you guys,

~Moonlit- Silhouette