Chapter Text
“Sweetness, for the last time, stop looking at him!”
Katara whipped her head back around, glaring down at her friend as her cheeks flushed red from being caught in the act.
“I was not looking!” she snapped indignantly, raising her voice to be heard over the noise of the other bar patrons. “And how would you know, anyways?”
Her friend snorted, shaking her head.
“Because I know you, duh,” Toph replied. “Besides, you haven’t been paying attention to anything else that’s been happening for the last ten minutes.”
“Yes I have!”
“Please. If you had, then you definitely would have reacted about five minutes ago when a guy came up and asked if he could buy us – but mainly you – a drink.”
Katara was tempted to argue, but she knew it was no use.
Instead she scanned the crowd surrounding them at the bar, searching for this mystery man or anyone who looked promising, unfortunately coming up short.
She did recall seeing a male figure conversing with Top a few minutes ago out of her peripheral vision, come to think of it, though she hadn’t paid attention enough to remember anything specific about him.
But Katara hadn’t noticed anyone trying to talk to her earlier, though, much less offering to buy her a drink.
Which was a shame, because she sure as hell could use a strong one right about now.
In her defense, even with the dimly lit bar and flashing multicolored lights and the thick crowd of people it would have been impossible not to notice him.
Not with the way he was the only one in the crowd with the pale blue arrow tattooed on his forehead and extending down his spine beneath his collar, marking him as decidedly Air Nation amidst the rest of the Ba Sing Se residents.
Not with the way he was currently laughing from across the room, lounging on one of the couches with his arm wrapped around his new girlfriend’s shoulder.
And not with the way he kept leaning in to exchange kisses and whispering something in his date’s ear that made her cackle loudly, acting like the rest of the world wasn’t even there.
~*~*~
The “him” in question of course was Katara’s stupid ex-boyfriend, who’d sauntered in through the stupid door half an hour ago with some stupid date hanging off his stupid arm.
And of course, the one night she’d decided to throw all caution to the wind and be fun for once in her life, Aang just had to show up and ruin her good mood.
“Okay, okay, fine,” she grumbled. “You got me, I was staring but that’s only because they’re being so obnoxious.”
“I’m telling you,” Toph said, jabbing her arm with a finger, “that’s just what he wants. You’re letting him win by getting under your skin like this, when you could be getting free drinks from cute guys instead.”
“How do you know that guy from a few minutes ago was cute?” Katara countered. “You’re blind, remember?”
“Well, he had a really nice voice," Toph explained. "I can only assume he was just as good to look at as he was to listen to."
Katara scoffed as her friend continued.
"Poor guy asked you like three times before I told him to let it go, that you were probably being stupid and giving your ex the evil eye from across the room.”
She opened her mouth to fire off some pitiful retort, but a familiar hand patted against her shoulder before she could.
“I’m back!” Suki called out over the noise, returning from outside after calling and checking in on her husband. “Sokka says hi and hopes we’re having fun doing quote 'boring girl stuff.' So what’d I miss?”
Toph, of course, was quick to reply.
“Sugar Queen just missed out on scoring a free drink from a hot guy because she was too busy sulking over you-know-who.”
“I was not!”
Her sister-in-law arched a brow.
“How do you know he was hot?” Suki inquired.
“Trust me, Sukes, a guy with a raspy voice like that? He’s got to be ridiculously good looking. Either that or he can seduce women with his voice alone.”
Katara rolled her eyes, long past the point of being mentally done with this night and her well-intentioned friends.
“Right now, I’m only interested if he can make Aang and…” she paused, wracking her brain. “…what’s her name again?”
“Onji,” her friends supplied wearily.
“Yeah, if this guy can make those two disappear for the rest of the night, then I’ll take him up on that drink. Otherwise, no thank you.”
Suki sent her a sympathetic look, shaking her head.
“You can’t let Aang acting like a prick mess with your head,” she advised kindly. “I know it sucks, believe me I do, but you’ve got to shake it off.”
Katara wanted to protest, but her sister-in-law was right.
Then Toph leaned over, nudging her.
“Look, we’re going to do a round of shots to take the edge off, and then we’re going to go dance with everyone else and have fun. Maybe flirt with some guys and make out with a few – except for Sukes, obviously – and by the end of tonight, you won’t even be thinking about him anymore.”
It seemed impossible to forget about Aang, though, when he was still making out with his date from across the room, groping each other like they were moments away from humping right there in public.
But her friends were right.
It wouldn’t do any good moping over him for the rest of the evening.
Especially not with the outfit she was currently wearing, carefully selected to show enough skin and accentuate her curves without making her feel overexposed.
Don’t waste the pretty, Suki had advised her while getting ready earlier. Looking good is the best revenge.
At the moment, though, the best revenge would be doing something that would make Aang sorry that he’d ever cheated on her and called her boring, adding insult to injury.
So with a sigh, Katara put on her best smile and leaned across the bar, waiting until the cute bartender’s eyes met hers amidst the chaos.
“And what can I get you tonight, pretty lady?” he drawled, handing off a pair of drinks to the patrons beside her and sending them on their merry way.
“Three shots of Wolf Bay vodka, please,” she called out over the music.
The bartender grinned, nodding as he got out the glasses and a bottle of her homeland’s prized alcohol.
His dark eyes scanned over her face while he poured, and his smirk grew.
“Southern Water Tribe girl, huh?”
Katara nodded, digging through her crossbody purse as he slid the overflowing shot glasses towards her, the translucent blue alcohol lightly sloshing onto the metal surface of the bar top.
“How much?”
“They’re on the house. But for your number, I could get ya another round or two for free.”
She grinned, shaking her head.
“Let me think on it,” she replied, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. “Thanks for the drinks, uh…?”
“Jet,” he supplied helpfully, winking. “No pressure either way.”
Her friends thankfully waited until after they’d thrown back the vodka and moved away from the bar to make room for the next patrons before Toph punched her arm.
Hard.
“Ow, Toph! What the hell?”
“Let me think on it,” her friend repeated mockingly. “Seriously, Katara. I’m blind as a badgermole and even I could see how hard he was flirting with you just now.”
“There’s no telling how many girls he’s probably tried that exact same line on tonight, hoping one of them will actually fall for it,” Katara retorted.
“And what’s so wrong with that?” Suki asked. “At the very least, you could get a hot makeout session out of him. Who knows, maybe hooking up with a complete stranger is just what you need to feel better about tonight.”
A wicked smirk had started growing on Toph’s face, one that she didn’t trust at all.
“I bet that he knows all the good moves too. He was giving off major line cook dick energy – ”
“What are you talking about?” Katara screeched, her voice drowned out by the sounds of the bar. “What the hell even is that?”
“You’re so sheltered, Sugar Queen, that it’s cute. I’m just saying, if you wanted him to, I bet that bartender could break your back later tonight and get you off so many times that you forget all about what’s-his-tiny-nuts.”
Katara groaned, resisting the urge to wipe her hands down her face and smudge her makeup.
The thought was tempting, she couldn’t deny that.
It had been a few weeks since the break-up, and their sex life hadn’t exactly been fulfilling towards the end.
Though in retrospect Aang’s enjoyment always ended up taking precedence over hers, so she could argue that it had never been as fulfilling as she’d tried to pretend.
But hooking up with a random guy just didn’t appeal to her, no matter how cute he was or how good he probably was in bed.
Still, maybe her ex had been right.
Maybe she needed to learn how to let loose and have fun and stop being such a wet blanket all the time.
She’d always been the responsible one in their relationship, while he’d always been more carefree, to the point that she’d felt more like Aang’s mother than his girlfriend at times.
But maybe she just needed to shake it off tonight, like Suki had said.
Especially since he was here and very much aware of her presence.
When they weren’t attached by the lips, Aang had glanced over every so often with a pitying look on his face, while his new girlfriend had been pointedly sending her looks of disgust ever since they walked in.
… maybe she should head back to the bar and give Jet her number, if only to have someone to take home at the end of the night…
Then Toph grabbed her arm, dragging her and Suki in the general direction of the next room over as a peppy new song started blaring over the speakers.
“Enough moping around, Sweetness. Let’s go dance!”
~*~*~
Katara allowed herself to be dragged away, though she furtively snuck a glance over at the now-empty couch where her ex and his new girlfriend had been.
That, at least, was a good sign.
Maybe they’d left, and she could finally enjoy the rest of the night –
She came to an abrupt stop at the same time as Suki did, the pair exchanging dismayed looks.
As if he’d read her mind, Aang and his new girlfriend were already right in the middle of the crowd of dancing people, his tattooed hands gripping Onji’s waist from behind and grinding her hips back against his.
“… you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Katara growled.
With that, she turned around and started to walk away, ignoring her friends’ efforts to persuade her to stay.
“Wait, Katara…”
“Come back, Sugar Queen!”
She paused and turned back around just long to meet Suki’s concerned gaze and see Toph’s indignant glare in her ex’s general direction.
Katara shook her head.
“Be right back!” she called out, forcing a smile, willing herself not to cry in front of him. “Just… just give me a minute.”
She would not give him or what’s-her-name the satisfaction of seeing her upset.
She absolutely refused to.
All she had to do was get to the women’s bathroom… take a few minutes to compose herself…
“Oof!”
Or maybe not, as she was promptly brought to a screeching halt.
She hadn't been looking ahead and her cheek collided with a stranger’s back, who’d been standing near the edge of the crowd by the wall.
The impact of the collision knocked her backwards, leaving her blinking up stupidly at the tall figure she’d bumped into.
And Katara cringed when she realized she’d made him spill nearly all of his drink.
“Sorry, sorry!” she squeaked out, her head swiveling around for an exit. “I wasn’t… sorry…”
But it was too crowded, and she had no choice but to face him as he turned around to see who had so rudely crashed into him.
And her eyes widened ever so slightly, taking in the sharp angles of the stranger’s pale face for the first time.
She couldn’t make out the exact shade of his piercing eyes in the low light, though she guessed they were either gold or light brown.
But most striking of all was the dark scar branded across his left eye and extending to his cheekbone, twisting the eyelid into a permanent squint.
Even with it, he was stupidly handsome, especially with the perfectly tousled strands of midnight-black hair falling carelessly around his face.
That had been one thing she’d always wished for while dating Aang, him having hair that she could run her fingers through.
But he’d always kept it shaved close, as per Air Nomad tradition.
Meanwhile this stranger was tall and handsome as hell, and he had hella good hair, too?
It was unfair, really.
She’d never stood a chance.
~*~*~
Katara took all of that in within the span of maybe a millisecond, her breath catching in her throat as their eyes met.
“Are you hurt?” the stranger was asking, wincing apologetically. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention or else I’d have moved out of your way…”
… oh, she thought dazedly.
There was a honeyed rasp to his voice that was damn near intoxicating.
He trailed off upon getting a clearer look at her face in the darkness amidst the ever-changing lights.
His good eye widened slightly, and a cautious smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“… it’s you,” he said, sounding strangely awestruck. “Um, hi again.”
Katara blinked and tilted her head to the side in confusion.
“I’m sorry, have we met?”
She knew for damn sure she’d remember seeing him before, especially with that adorable faint blush currently rising to his good cheek.
He opened his mouth then promptly closed it, shaking his head.
“Well, not technically,” he said sheepishly. “But a few minutes ago, I tried to ask if I could buy you a drink, but you weren’t listening… and your friend was saying something about you being distracted because your ex was here…”
Oh.
So this was the guy Toph had been talking about earlier, who she’d accidentally ignored while she'd been preoccupied glaring over at Aang and his new girlfriend.
Her friend had actually been right – he was really cute.
And he did have a really nice voice.
One that she could easily imagine whispering words of temptation beside her ear in the dark…
Katara realized he was examining her carefully now, his brow furrowed.
“You look upset,” he observed, his raspy voice tinged in concern. “Are you sure you're okay?”
Maybe?
She wasn't entirely sure at the moment.
But she was finding it hard to concentrate on much else at the moment besides fighting back the urge to ruffle up this stranger’s hair, which looked to be soft as silk.
… that was most likely the vodka’s influence.
Yes, definitely the alcohol talking.
She nodded, plastering on a smile once more.
“I’m…” Katara began, sighing as she gestured vaguely behind her. “Sorry, yeah. This was supposed to be a fun night out with my friends, but then my stupid ex showed up. Now he and his new girlfriend are in the middle of the dance floor – ”
“Are they the ones practically humping each other?” the stranger supplied, scoffing as he glanced over her shoulder in their direction, narrowing his eyes. “Yeah, it’s hard to miss them. What an asshole.”
Then he looked back down at her, his features softening.
“If you want, I could ‘accidentally’ bump into him the next time he’s got a drink in his hand,” the dark-haired man offered, his mouth curling upwards into a hint of a smirk. “That’ll cool him off and knock his ego down a peg.”
Katara gawked up at him, taken aback.
“… what?”
He shrugged.
“Stupid idea, but if you’d like… I’m actually very good at maneuvering through crowds, and even if I’m not able to get away in time, I can hold my own.”
“You’re actually being serious right now.”
“I’ve got nothing else going on, might as well have fun. Besides…”
The stranger used his mostly empty cup to gesture around them.
“This isn’t my scene, hanging around a crowded bar where there’s too many people and you can’t hear anything. The only reason I’m here is because my friends dragged me out tonight. One of them had to leave early, and the other…”
He nodded in the direction of the bar, which was still swarming with thirsty patrons.
“... is working, so I can’t even hang out with him without taking up a spot at the bar.”
Her eyes flitted over towards the cute bartender from earlier, widening in realization.
“Wait, Jet’s your friend?”
Her companion nodded.
“I take it you two have met?” he asked with a knowing look on his face.
“He gave me and my friends a round of shots on the house," she replied, "then said he could get a few more free rounds if I gave him my number.”
“Yeah, that… that sounds like him," the stranger remarked dryly. "So did it work?”
“Of course not!” she scoffed, though not without a faint grin. “I bet he does that to all of the girls, right?”
For some reason, her companion seemed relieved by that answer.
“Not as often as you’d think," he said. "But yeah, that’s Jet's go-to for pretty girls he wants to hook up with.”
The stranger rolled his eyes, though he grinned back in his friend’s direction all the same.
Jet must have sensed them watching him even through the chaos of the packed bar, because he looked up and grinned at the pair before his attention was captured by a new group of customers.
Her companion turned his focus back to her, offering a winning smile.
“Like I said, I’m bored and would love nothing more than to cause a little havoc,” the stranger said. “So if you want to get back at your ex without dirtying your hands, my offer’s still on the table.”
She slowly shook her head, a dry chuckle escaping from her mouth.
“That’s… well, I appreciate it, I do, but he’s not worth it,” she said. “But thank you, though…”
Katara trailed off.
“Sorry, I don’t think I ever got your name.”
“Oh. Right, sorry. I’m Zuko.”
For some reason his name sounded strangely familiar, though for the life of her, she couldn’t place it.
But his name had a pleasant ring to it, she thought, and she correctly guessed that he must be from the Fire Nation.
And as she’d discover before the night was through, his name sounded even better moaned out in ecstasy with his face buried between her thighs.
“Happy to meet you, Zuko,” she said, appreciating how the two syllables so easily rolled off her tongue. “I’m Katara.”
“Katara,” he repeated softly, his grin widening as she nodded. “That’s a pretty name.”
The way the corner of his good eye crinkled up when he smiled and how softly her name sounded coming from his lips should not have affected her like it did, but spirits…
“So, uh, listen,” he was stammering out, his cheeks blushing even in the dark. “It’s totally fine if you say no, but I was wondering… would you maybe want a drink, or to dance?”
She blinked, her mouth parting.
“If you were feeling up for it, that is,” Zuko was quick to add. “You don’t have to or feel obligated, or anything. But if you would rather find your friends and ditch this place, I wouldn’t blame you at all – ”
“… I’d like that,” she interrupted softly. “To dance with you, I mean.”
Her heart skipped a beat seeing his features light up, and oh, she was in trouble.
“Really?” he asked, eyes hopeful and gleaming brightly in the darkness. “Because you don’t have to, if you don’t want to – ”
“I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t mean it,” she replied, grinning. “I came out tonight to have fun and, if I was lucky, find a cute guy to dance with. You up for it?”
He grinned, reaching out to take her hand in his; warm fingers curling protectively around hers.
“Let’s go.”
~*~*~
Zuko led them through the mass of people, his taller frame easily parting the crowd for her as Katara followed along, gripping his hand like a lifeline.
She noticed heads turning to stare at them as they passed, which she found strange.
Granted, his scar stood out prominently against his pale skin even in the dark, but she didn’t mind it in the least.
But that didn’t seem to be the reason for the crowd eying them with raised brows and surprised whispers amongst themselves.
Katara noticed that even Suki was all but gawking in their direction, leaning down to convey something to Toph that rendered their blind friend stunned.
Had she looked over at her ex, she might have seen Aang stopping mid-dance to stare at them as well in disbelief, much to his date’s chagrin.
As if he could read her mind, Zuko offered her an apologetic look as they found an open spot on the dance floor.
“Sorry, I was hoping nobody would stare,” he said. “That tends to happen everywhere I go.”
“You shouldn’t let them get to you,” she replied. “Ignore them. Just focus on dancing with me and forget about everyone else.”
He nodded.
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Zuko murmured, almost to himself.
Then he cautiously rested his hands on her hips.
“Is this okay? Or would you rather turn around, dance back to front?”
She responded by draping her arms around his neck, smiling up at him as she moved in closer.
“This is perfect.”
His lone brow rose ever so slightly.
“And you don’t mind having to look at the scar?”
“Should I?”
The way his features seemed to relax as though in relief was unmistakable.
“Besides,” she added, “I like being able to see who I’m dancing with. Makes it much more personal, you know?”
Zuko nodded, pulling her flush against him as a new song started blasting out over the speakers.
And oh, he was so warm that she practically melted in his embrace.
Katara had already mentally prepared herself for the possibility that her companion wouldn’t actually know how to dance, that he’d asked her just to be nice.
Even if he did, he would probably be mediocre at best.
But two songs later – or maybe three, she’d actually lost count – Katara found herself breathless and giggling up at the man in her arms holding her as gently as a lover would.
He didn’t talk much as they danced, but then again, he didn’t need to.
Zuko guided them through the movements with practiced ease, his hands resting comfortably against her waist and his eyes never leaving hers, grinning all the while.
And, as she breathlessly discovered, he was very much enjoying dancing with her, even more so each time she pulled him in closer so their hips could meet. A heady rush of triumph was spreading through her brain, and if they kept this up, she’d be tempted to drag him off to a dark corner.
Eventually thirst won out, and after another couple of songs they decided to take a break, slipping away from the dance floor to catch their breaths and get a drink.
Her friends intercepted them before they could.
Katara had just enough time to hear him muttering something that sounded like “… I think I know her…” while nodding towards Suki before they’d pounced.
As she soon learned, she and Zuko had more in common than either of them had realized.
“Hi again,” her sister-in-law said over the noise of the crowd, smiling towards the newcomer. “I believe we met a few years ago – ”
Her dance partner snapped his fingers, a look of recognition flashing in his eyes.
“You’re Suki!” he recalled. “From the university, when I was getting my MBA. You and Sokka were dating back then, right?”
Katara looked up at her partner in surprise - how did he know her brother?
“We were dating back then,” her sister-in-law said, grinning as she held up her left hand. “We’ve upgraded over the last few years.”
Apparently, Zuko had been in the same program at Ba Sing Se University about the same time as her brother a few years back, and while they’d never been close friends, they’d been friendly enough acquaintances.
Which made his reaction to discovering who she was much more amusing than it probably should have been.
“Wait, wait, Sokka’s your brother?” he asked once he found out, his jaw dropping. “You’re his baby sister that he mentioned every so often?”
She raised a brow.
“Do I look like anyone’s baby sister?” Katara asked, fighting back a smirk seeing how quickly his cheeks flushed.
Zuko shook his head, thankfully spared from answering that as his attention was soon focused on chatting with Suki, who apparently he’d met a handful of times through her brother.
“Anyways, it’s so nice to see you again,” Zuko was saying politely, ducking his head. “I haven’t seen Sokka in ages, how’s he been?”
That wasn’t the only bombshell Katara received that night.
While those two were catching up, she felt her other friend elbowing her side, and Toph beckoned for her to lean in.
“Well, if you wanted to make Twinkletoes jealous, you definitely succeeded, landing your own Prince Charming and all… and he’s the hot voice guy from earlier? Way to go, Sugar Queen!”
Katara’s mouth pursed, and she glanced over at her dance partner still wrapped up in a conversation with Suki, oblivious to the not-so-subtle looks they were receiving from the other bar patrons.
Her ex and what’s-her-name included.
“What are you talking about?”
Toph grinned, tugging her head down to whisper-shout in her ear over the sounds of the bar.
“This guy, Zuko? He’s royalty. Technically fourth in line for the throne, but he’s an actual Fire Nation prince.”
She felt her eyes widen, and they immediately sought out his form, still politely chatting with her sister-in-law about all the shenanigans Sokka was up to these days.
And suddenly, all the gawking from the rest of the bar patrons made sense.
The whispers and stares in their direction hadn’t just been because of the scar, had they?
How could she not have recognized who he was?
Now she knew why his name had sounded so familiar earlier.
Spirits, she was so stupid…
The prince chose that exact moment to glance back at her, his nervous smile fading upon seeing the look of astonishment that no doubt was plainly visible on her face.
“… everything alright?” Zuko asked, his confidence clearly faltering.
Katara nodded wordlessly, her mouth still open in disbelief.
Once again, Toph took it upon herself to be as helpful – or unhelpful – as possible.
“She didn’t realize who you were, Prince Charming,” her friend explained with a cheeky grin. “And I’m pretty sure I just blew her mind.”
He winced, nodding as he stepped forward to address her directly.
Out of the corner of her eye Katara noticed her two friends step back, attempting to give them space, though they were still close enough to hear.
Not that she particularly cared at the moment.
“Is that… is that a problem?” he asked softly, eyes scanning over her face as though searching for something. "I wasn't sure if you knew who I was or not..."
Katara slowly shook her head, a million different thoughts racing through her mind.
“You might have forgotten to mention that detail earlier,” she said with a faint grin. “I just… well, I wasn’t expecting that.”
He nodded sheepishly.
“Um, yeah. I wasn’t sure if anyone would recognize me here tonight.”
And she couldn’t help but notice how the hem of his dark shirt lifted an inch or so above his pants as he rubbed the back of his neck, giving her an all too brief glimpse of his toned abs underneath.
… well, if she hadn’t already been intrigued, now she was hooked.
“And you can see why I didn’t lead off with that, like some snob,” Zuko added. “I usually try to keep a low profile when I’m not back home, and I didn’t want to make it into a big deal.”
Back home, he’d said so casually.
As in an actual palace.
Where he probably had a crown, along with all the perks that came with being a prince.
She shook her head, still trying to bring herself back down to earth.
“And yet, you asked to dance with me in front of everyone?" Katara asked, incredulous. "Offered to accidentally-on-purpose bump into my ex and make him spill his drink all over himself?”
(“Ooh, I like this guy,” Toph chimed in from off to the side. “He’s my level of petty.”)
Zuko, meanwhile, simply shrugged.
“What can I say? You looked upset, and I wanted to cheer you up.”
Katara allowed herself to break out into a smile.
“That was sweet,” she said softly. "Even if it wasn't necessary."
He grinned, nodding his head.
“Sorry that everyone’s staring at us now,” he apologized. “I mean, I’m used to it, but I completely understand if you’re uncomfortable with it, or if you’ve changed your mind about hanging around – ”
She shook her head.
“Let them stare,” Katara replied, feeling something like butterflies erupt in her stomach seeing his face light up like that. “Anyways, prince or not, I believe you owe me a drink?”
~*~*~
Over the next hour or so, Katara learned more about her dance partner, sipping on their glasses of water to hydrate before switching back to alcohol.
He explained why he’d been living in Ba Sing Se for the past few years, deciding to break away from the royal family’s influence and see the world for himself.
How he’d wanted to experience it like a normal person before he eventually had to return home.
How being fourth in line for the throne meant that he was able to go unnoticed more often than not, granting him a level of freedom.
How beneath the royal title, Zuko was ultimately just another guy, one who was surprisingly normal and all too easy to like.
She told him all about herself, how she'd moved to the city nearly a year ago for her job in social work, currently living with Toph in the latter's apartment.
Best of all he listened, actually listened while she spoke, absorbing every word without trying to spin the subject back on himself.
And after awhile, she forgot to discreetly look over at her ex to gauge his reaction from time to time, her focus entirely on her new partner in crime.
Before long, she stopped worrying about him altogether.
Katara was too busy tucked up under Zuko’s arm as they leaned back against a loveseat in one of the darker corners of the bar, the rest of the world fading away.
He hadn't attempted to kiss her yet, which was disappointing.
But for now, it was enough to curl up next to him with her legs draped across his lap, laughing and resting her head against his shoulder, his hand palming slowly up and down her bare arm as they sipped on their drinks.
After awhile he gently nudged her, flashing a crooked smile.
“Want to dance again?”
"I thought you'd never ask."
The prince's grin grew even wider somehow, and he stood up, extending his hand to help her up like a gentleman.
~*~*~
She thought she caught a glimpse of Aang and what's-her-name staring from somewhere out in the crowd as they made their way to the dance floor again.
But Katara paid them no attention, too busy finding an open spot.
This time Zuko opted to stand behind her as they danced together.
And while she missed the closeness of dancing face to face, this new way was quickly proving to be just as intimate.
Katara’s head lolled back against his shoulder, lashes fluttering shut as she let him guide the languid movement of their hips together.
His hands were heavy and impossibly warm, practically burning through her clothes, carefully pulling her closer against him, grinding her back slowly against his hips.
Zuko was pressing lazy kisses to the side of her throat, growling softly against her ear, the vibration rumbling up through his chest and into her back, reverberating through her entire body.
And suddenly, she didn’t care if her stupid ex and his new girlfriend were watching them or not, or if they were even still at the bar anymore.
She didn’t care if she was being reckless, or if she might regret her rash behavior in the morning.
Without warning she turned around in Zuko’s arms.
The abruptness brought their movements to an awkward halt in the middle of the dance floor, still surrounded by distracted couples dancing all around them in the dark.
Katara just barely caught a glimpse of his brow furrowing in confusion before her hands shot out to cradle his jaw, guiding his mouth downward to crash against hers.
Whatever he’d been about to blurt out was promptly swallowed down as his posture relaxed.
He responded immediately, pulling her in closer, until she was all but melting in his embrace.
She could’ve sworn he was chuckling against her mouth as her lips hungrily claimed his over and over.
His kiss was gentle yet steady, letting her take the lead, pushing back just enough to provide a fun challenge.
Then his knuckles curled up under her chin and tilted her head back, deepening the kiss, gliding his tongue against hers.
… oh.
That settled it – either she was bringing him back to her apartment tonight or she was crashing at his place, the location itself didn’t matter.
Because she knew then and there that she'd be sleeping with him before the evening was through, one way or another.
Suddenly she was weightless, squealing in shock against his mouth as her eyes blinked open.
His arms were wrapped securely around her waist, holding her against his chest, and he was panting softly, eyes flying open to meet her bewildered gaze.
Zuko wet his lips, then swallowed hard.
“… too much?”
Katara exhaled, then shook her head.
“Wasn’t expecting…” she breathed. “Do you… do you want to get out of here?”
He hugged her just a bit tighter to his chest, as though this was nothing more than a dream and she’d slip away if he didn’t hold on to her.
“What’d you have in mind?” he asked softly, setting her back down.
She stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck to whisper a handful of words in his ear that made his face turn scarlet and his breath catch in his throat.
His entire body had gone rigid, and she nipped playfully at his ear, bringing him out of his trance.
"Want to?" she whispered, praying she hadn't lost her mind and was being too forward.
Zuko swallowed hard, then smirked down at her, unmistakable lust burning like an inferno behind his eyes.
"... thought you'd never ask," he breathed. "Yes, please."
She intertwined their fingers and pulled him away from the dance floor, towards the edge of the room where Suki and Toph were talking and laughing amongst themselves, sipping their drinks.
Katara let go of his hand just long enough to pull her friends in, so she could explain her plans for the remainder of the evening.
“You’re good to go, Sweetness? You don’t feel tipsy or anything?”
“I’m good, I swear.”
“She looks normal, Toph. Well, aside from looking like she wants to jump him right here in the middle of the room, but other than that – ”
“Suki! Seriously, I’m good. I’ve got my phone’s location tracker on and everything, so you’ll be able to see where I’m at.”
“Besides,” Zuko chimed in, pulling out his phone to show them his number. “Here’s my cell, and I’m still at the same apartment in the Upper Ring as before, so Sokka will know exactly where that’s at. And if anything changes, I’ll bring her back immediately, no questions asked. On my honor.”
After a moment, both of her friends flashed wide grins.
“Go on, get out of here, kids,” Suki said, shooing them both away. “The night is young, go have fun. Call if you need anything!”
“Yeah, definitely call us later, Sugar Queen!” called out Toph as they started to walk away. “We want to hear all of the dirty details!”
Katara’s face contorted in mortification, refusing to look back as they made their way towards the exit.
When she braved a look up at her partner, he too was blushing even as he smirked down at her.
“I’m going to kill my friends,” she grumbled.
“I guess you could, if you wanted to,” Zuko replied. “But I can think of a few things we could do instead that might be more fun, and they won’t involve you getting arrested.”
She debated whether or not to make a quip about hoping to end the night in handcuffs regardless, though at his mercy instead of the Dai Li’s.
But then Zuko was pulling her in for an all too brief kiss that made her knees weak, before wrapping a protective arm around her shoulder.
“Let’s get out of here, sweetheart.”
Katara was too busy grinning up at him like an idiot as they made their way towards the exit to notice anything else, especially not the stunned expression on a certain ex’s face from across the room.
A tall, burly-looking man she’d mistaken for another bouncer followed after them, politely introducing himself as the prince’s bodyguard once they were outside. Then they were climbing into a nondescript car, setting off into the night.
And by the time they made it back to his apartment following the longest car ride of her life – which lasted a total of maybe fifteen minutes, though it felt like an eternity...
... she’d entirely forgotten about her ex-boyfriend altogether.
