Chapter Text
Lights and colors filled the shining ballroom of Omashu's Royal Palace. The air was full of joy, people were twirling on the dance floor inebriated by the music, the laughter and the good wine of the Earth Kingdom.
Fire Lord Zuko stood aside, a goblet of wine in his hand, watching the multitude of colors of the four nations merge into one dance. Peace, he thought. These were the colors of peace, still stable and lasting after eight years since the end of the war, thanks to their continuous efforts and sacrifices to keep it so.
Omashu hosted the Peace Council that year, an annual meeting between the leaders and ambassadors of the three nations and the newly formed Republic City to renew peace treaties and strengthen relations between the nations. For the other leaders it was a cause for celebration, for Zuko an opportunity to see his friends again.
Sokka and Suki were dancing. He was in the vivid colors of his tribe, she in an elegant Earth Kingdom dress, free from her warrior's clothes, but no less fierce. Their smiles shone, as did the stone around Suki's neck. Not just a promise, but a sense of belonging.
Toph hadn't been seen in a while, and Zuko promised himself he'd go check on her soon to make sure she didn't get into trouble, but at that moment he couldn't take his eyes off Katara. From Katara and that idiot Ambassador of the Northern Water Tribe. Katara, gorgeous in her blue clothes, a perfect match for her bright eyes and the necklace that hung around her neck, laughed at his jokes and conversed animatedly with him.
Zuko felt the blood boiling in his veins, the threat of flames making its way to his fingertips.
He had no right to feel this way. He and Katara were just friends. The fact that they had grown close over the past few years, since she had officially become the Southern Water Tribe's Ambassador, meant absolutely nothing. The fact that he felt his heart burst in his chest every time her ship touched the ground meant absolutely nothing.
He tried to blame the wine. Two cups were not too many, but the wine of the Earth Kingdom was certainly heavier than the sweet wines of his Nation.
At that moment Katara burst out laughing and, leaning forward, placed her hand on the boy's arm.
Puah.
"I'm starting to worry that that guy will catch fire soon."
Zuko looked away from that loathsomes cene and turned to look at the Avatar in his shining orange robes, the blue tattoo on his bald head and a smile on his face.
"What?"
Aang pointed at Katara and the Ambassador with a movement of his head.
"I've been there myself. It's the effect she does."
Zuko felt the heat reach his cheeks. Idiot.
The respect and the friendship he had for Aang were the main reason he would never dream of making a move on Katara. It had been at least five years since Aang and Katara had ended their relationship, Aang had grown up, become a man, and he had remained on very good terms with Katara. But.
Zuko shook his head.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Aang."
Aang couldn't contain laughter.
"It's so obvious that there's no point in trying to hide it, buddy."
Zuko blushed even more. Was it really that obvious? He didn't think anyone suspected the slightest thing, he was convinced that he had been good at burying his feelings as deep as they could be buried.
"It's okay, Zuko," Aang added. "It's been a long time and we've both moved on. It's not a crime if you like her, I can totally understand that."
The last sentence was uttered with a slightly sad smile, of someone who had long made peace with it.
"I owe you an apology." Zuko turned to him, bowing his head slightly. "I would never do anything that could ruin our friendship."
Aang shook his head and Katara's giggling brought both of their eyes back in her direction.
Agni, that idiot is still there.
"I'd much rather she was with you than with that guy. Who is he, anyway?"
Zuko let out a grunt of frustration.
"The new ambassador from the North. A total idiot."
"I can imagine."
"No, you can't even imagine it! I dealt with him at the last Council in the Fire Nation and you should have seen him, Mr. Look at Me I've Got the Most Progressive Ideas in History!"
Zuko only realized at that moment that he had lost all forms of self-control and tried to pull himself together, putting on a neutral expression and trying to casually sip his wine.
Sneaking a glance at Aang, he noticed that the boy was snickering.
"Do you want to see something funny?"
Zuko looked at him worriedly.
"Aang, I don't ... I don’t think it's exactly a good idea to get us in trouble."
Aang assumed a serious expression.
"Fire Lord Zuko, I assure you that all of this was taught to me by my Master Gyatso."
Zuko brought a hand to his forehead, expecting the worst anyway. The boy next to him generated a small stream of air with one hand and, with a smooth, almost imperceptible movement, sent it in the direction of the buffet, right behind Katara and the Ambassador. A cream pastry flew toward them, ending up splattered on the Ambassador's blue robe.
"Spirits, I don't know what happened!" The boy screamed, grabbing the pastry with his hand, a shadow of blush on his face. "Excuse me, I'm going to go clean up. It will just take a moment", he added with a high pitched voice, quickly fleeing the room.
Zuko and Aang started to laugh without restraint, stopping immediately when they saw Katara's narrowed gaze pointing in their direction and approaching them both with a threatening manner. The two boys tried to assume a serious expression and pretended to be deep in conversation.
"As I was telling you, in the last meeting with the Earth King ..."
"I don’t suppose either of you is responsible for what just happened," Katara interrupted them, her eyes reduced to two slits.
Aang and Zuko looked at each other genuinely confused, then turned their gaze to the girl.
"What are you talking about, Katara?" Zuko asked her casually.
Katara crossed her arms, a small smile on her face. She turned her gaze to Aang and said, "You are literally the only person in the world who can bend air. So, unless pastries have learned to fly, I'm guessing you're responsible for Ambassador Soraq's cream tunic."
"It could have been Momo," Aang suggested with a smile.
Katara continued to stare at him as if Aang could be incinerated on the spot.
Zuko brought both hands to his chest. "Ambassador Katara, how can you think that the Avatar here could be responsible for such misdeeds?"
Katara's eyes locked into his. Zuko felt the ground beneath his feet be inexplicably less solid.
Katara was about to point a finger at his chest, when a voice behind the girl's back interrupted them.
"Ambassador Katara, here I am. All you had to do was use a little water ...". Soraq immediately interrupted himself when he realized who he was standing in front of.
"Fire Lord Zuko! Avatar Aang! I hope you are having a wonderful evening."
Aang bowed his head slightly as Zuko put on the most fake smile he could find.
"Ambassador Soraq, what a pleasure to have you here with us!"
Katara gave him a skeptical expression.
"I beg your pardon, but I haven't seen Toph for too long, I'm going to go check that she hasn't got herself in trouble,” Aang announced, vanishing from the scene of the crime with a short bow.
Zuko was left alone with Katara and the ambassador. He silently cursed his friend.
"Before an inexplicable event interrupted us," Katara began with an eloquent smile. "The Ambassador was explaining to me how the Northern Tribe is finally breaking free of the old patriarchal patterns."
Zuko smiled, looking at the boy's satisfied expression.
"Is that so?" He asked, bringing a hand to his chin and pretending to be interest. "Now women can use waterbending to go fishing too?"
Ouch. Katara had stepped on his foot.
Their attention was captured by the change in music and their argument was forgotten. The tune flowed from the traditional upbeat ballads to a slow, gentle melody that invited the couples on the dance floor to step closer. Zuko saw Soraq turn to Katara and begin to raise his hand in a gesture that was clearly intended to invite her onto the dance floor.
This was too much.
"Ambassador Katara, may I have this dance?" He suddenly asked her, taking her by the hand before she could even realize what had happened.
Katara turned to Soraq, smiled quickly at him, and walked to the center of the room, hand in hand with Zuko.
Zuko turned his to face him, let go of her hand to make a brief bow, then took it back and placed the free one on her hip.
The two began to move slowly, following the rhythm of the music.
Zuko didn't know where all that bravado came from; he was sure that all his confidence would dissolve into nothing as soon as he met Katara's eyes.
He had never liked to dance, especially with everyone's eyes on him, but the girl's hand on his hip, the knowledge that he was just a breath away from her, and her scent in his nostrils seemed like a good compromise at that moment.
"Can you explain what that was all about?" She asked him, her voice smaller than he remembered.
"What are you talking about?"
Zuko twirled her around and took her back into his arms. Katara looked up, locking her eyes with his. A grin appeared on her face.
"You were jealous."
Zuko felt his cheeks go up in flames.
"What?"
"You were jealous of the Ambassador, weren't you?"
The boy closed his eyes for a moment before looking at her again. He found himself wondering, for the second time that night, if it was really so obvious.
"I don't know what you're talking about," He managed to spatter, his voice rougher than he expected.
But Katara smiled, this time a soft, shy smile and lovely blush appeared on her cheeks. Without adding anything else, she snuggled closer to him.
Zuko smiled into her hair.