He's been following her with his eyes all night long. Aang sees it, and pays close attention to her reactions, but she doesn't seem to notice. Toph feels his footsteps, always behind the other girl's and smirks, thinking, It's about time. Suki notices and diverts Sokka's attention. Iroh observes with a small, knowing smile. Mai looks on quietly, bitter envy gnawing at her - and guilt.

Zuko knows he's being obvious, but he can't bring himself to stop - and frankly, he doesn't really want to.

Katara is a whirl of shades of blue - she found the dress in her closet, presumably a gift from Iroh (or Zuko) and it fit her perfectly, so what better time to wear it than the annual Peace Ball? She enjoys being in the Fire Nation more than she'd admit to anyone else. She knows Zuko picks the date of the summit each year, and the night of the ball is always a full moon, so she is up anyway. He doesn't think she knows, but Sokka let it slip one day, and just the reminder of his thoughtfulness is enough to make her feel warm inside. She wants this night - the last night of festivities - to go on forever.

But she knows it can't last.

Toph elbows her. "Hey, that Fire Nation kid is checking you out," she says.

Katara frowns. "How would you know?"

Toph grins. "Almost had you, didn't I?" Katara sighs and takes a sip of punch from the glass she holds. The musicians begin tuning their instruments, and suddenly Aang is standing before them.

"Do you want to dance?" he asks, addressing Katara.

"Sure, Twinkle Toes," Toph says, taking him by the hand and leading him away from the grateful waterbender. Over the past couple years, she'd come to realize that Aang was more like a little brother - a son, even - than someone to be in love with. She'd tried, at first. But it had felt so… wrong, and so she'd gone home to stay with Sokka, not wandering with Aang as they'd planned. She lives for the annual peace summit, held in the Fire Nation every summer; it's the only time she sees some of her friends. Aang is busy being the Avatar (and being hurt that she doesn't love him like he thought). Toph is busy with her metalbending school. Suki is busy with the Kyoshi Warriors. Sokka is on Kyoshi Island half the time. And Zuko is the Fire Lord, though he keeps up a regular correspondence with her, making sure to send a letter every full moon. She can't make it to the Fire Nation every month like she'd promised originally, due in part to the lack of waterbenders in the South Pole that are still needed for reconstruction, and in part to the harsh polar winter, but Zuko was understanding, and says she's welcome whenever she can be spared. But the peace summit is when all her friends are together again for one glorious week of summer, and she isn't as lonely.

She laughs, watching Toph leading Aang into the next dance. She takes another sip of her punch and casts about for a spot to sit down - her feet are aching. She spots a small, curtained alcove off to the side and gratefully sits down, putting her feet up on the cushioned bench. She watches the party for a while, listening to the music and snatches of conversations. She leans back, closing her eyes.

"Enjoying the party?" a low, slightly amused voice asks. Katara looks up and sees Zuko leaning against the wall beside her seat, resplendent in his royal robes.

"Of course," she replies. She swings her legs off the bench and pats the seat beside her. "There's room for one more," she says, smiling. He sits down next to her and looks out over the party.

"I hate these things," he says, with a slight twist of his mouth.

"Oh?"

"Uncle makes me dress up," he sighs, plucking at his outfit with distaste. Katara giggles at the sight of her nineteen-year-old friend, ruler of an entire country, pouting like a five-year-old. "Don't laugh at me," he growls, which only makes her laugh harder. Finally he cracks a smile and she grins back at him.

"I've missed you," she says, leaning back against the wall. His heart leaps. "I've missed everyone," she adds, quickly. "Sokka's there, but he might as well not be, considering how much time he spends on Kyoshi."

"I know what you mean," Zuko says, mirroring her and leaning back against his side of the alcove. "The only one of the group I see on a regular basis anymore is Aang, and that's only about once a month."

"I'm sorry I can't make it to the Fire Nation more often," Katara says, feeling horribly guilty. Of course she's not the only one who's missing her friends - Zuko barely has any friends at home as it is.

He only smiles at her. "It's fine. I know you're busy with reconstruction. What's your latest project?"

"A meeting-hall," Katara sighs. "It's taken forever for us to get it going, but once it's finished, we'll have a place for merchants from the other nations to set up a market - and it should be good for tribe meetings, when we have them."

"Sounds practical," Zuko says with a small smile.

"Sokka was inspired by the indoor market in one of the Fire Nation towns we stopped in when we were with Aang."

"How is Aang?" Zuko asks, carefully.

"He keeps trying to convince me that I belong with him," Katara says sadly. "He can't accept that I only see him as a brother now."

"So you're not really speaking, then."

"No."

Zuko is watching her with an inscrutable expression on his face. His golden eyes glow in the dim alcove. The music picks up in the background.

"Do you want to dance?" he asks suddenly. Then he turns pink and looks away. Katara smiles.

"Sure," she says, getting to her feet. Zuko blinks up at her, clearly surprised. "Although I will warn you now, I'm not very good," she adds. Zuko stands as well. His cheeks are still a little pink, but he's been waiting all night to ask her this, and now she's said yes, and he still can't quite believe it.

"It's just like a bending form," he says, facing her on the edge of the dance floor. "Or a sparring match. Just pay attention and react."

Katara feels a pang at the advice, and remembers another Fire Nation dance, not that long ago, but then she shakes away the memory and smiles up at her friend. "Sounds easy enough," she says. He takes her hand and sets the other on her waist. Heat rises to her face all of a sudden, and she's a little annoyed, actually. This is Zuko. She thought she was over this.

Zuko tries to move slow enough for Katara to follow, but it's hard to keep time with the music at this pace. She's doing all right so far, he thinks, and steps a little quicker. They've moved from the very edge of the dance floor to an area with more people.

Katara is focused on following Zuko - and not trampling his toes. So far, she's managed to keep up, and Zuko is smiling down at her. "See?" he says, with his trademark smirk. "Not bad."

She grins back. "I think you're having fun, Fire Lord Zuko."

"Me? Never," he drawls, pulling her in a little closer as another couple brushes past them. He doesn't let her go after they've gone by, and she feels the familiar heat creeping back to her cheeks.

The song changes, a quicker number. Zuko changes his pace to match the beat. "Want to try a spin?" he asks, nodding towards a couple on their right. The young Earth Kingdom man spins a Fire Nation girl under his arm. Katara watches, then nods.

"I think I've got it," she says. His mouth quirks up into a smile and he lifts his arm; she twirls underneath it, layered blue skirts fanning out into a circle around her. He catches her. She is laughing. "Let's do it again," she says, so he does, smiling as she spins. Her joy is infectious.

o0o

Aang watches them with narrowed eyes from the refreshment table. Toph punches him in the arm. "Let 'em be, Twinkle Toes. It's not your business anymore," she warns. The Avatar says nothing, just keeps watching.

Iroh comes up behind him. "Who is drawing the Avatar's attention tonight?" the old man asks, a twinkle in his eye. Aang points to the couple in the center of the dance floor - Katara in her shades of blue, Zuko in his deep red. They are dancing close - closer, perhaps, than propriety suggests.

"Ah," says Iroh. Aang just nods. Toph has disappeared into the crowd. "Perhaps you would do well to speak to Miss Mai," he continues, gesturing discreetly toward another curtained alcove where Mai sits, alone.

"Maybe later," the airbender says. He's not sure how much longer he can take this, watching the two of them - but Katara is smiling. He can't remember the last time in recent years that he saw her smiling, truly smiling like that. As much as seeing her with Zuko hurts, right now she's happy, and he doesn't want her to lose that.

Iroh has left and now Sokka is standing beside him, eyes narrowed. "That liar," he mutters.

"Huh?" Aang is confused.

"Zuko!" Sokka complains. "He told me he didn't like Katara!"

Aang raises an eyebrow. "When was that?"

"Well… I guess it was right after the comet - before the coronation. But still! I thought I could count on that, at least! I'm going to get her," he announces, starting for the dance floor. Aang grabs his arm.

"When was the last time you saw her that happy?" he asks. Sokka studies his sister for a moment.

"You have a point," he says, eyes sad. "She's been lonely at the South Pole. She tries to hide it, but I can see it." The Avatar feels a pang of guilt. He's been avoiding the South Pole - avoiding Katara - because of the way she's hurt him, the way she keeps turning him gently away. He can imagine how she feels, isolated in the South Pole, especially after being free to travel the world for nearly a year.

Sokka sighs. "Let's find some food, buddy," he says, pulling Aang toward the refreshment table.

o0o

Katara has danced through three songs with Zuko but she feels like she could go on all night, spinning and stepping and following and laughing.

Zuko is not tired, though he's been dancing for nearly fifteen minutes straight. He knows they are attracting stares from the others watching. Under the music, he knows there are whispers spreading like wildfire through the room as the Fire Lord and the Avatar's waterbender continue to dance.

But he doesn't care.

Two songs later, they both finally take a break. Katara looks happier than he's ever seen her at one of these things; her cheeks are flushed and her smile is so wide it makes his cheeks hurt just looking at it. He's still holding her hand.

"You're back," Toph says. "Now maybe Twinkle Toes will stop pouting." Zuko sees a trace of bitterness flash across her face as she blows her bangs out of her eyes. "He needs to get over himself," she says, sounding irritated. Zuko silently agrees. He's tired of Aang being awkward around Katara, and of Katara being on eggshells with him. It puts a strain on the rest of the group.

"Do you know where he is?" Katara is asking. "Maybe I should try to talk to him again -"

"It's been three years, Sugar Queen," Toph says, rolling her eyes. "If he hasn't gotten the message yet, I don't think he'll get it now." Then she frowns. "Your heartbeat just hit, like, a million miles an hour, Sparks."

Zuko flushes. "I ah - I had an idea. But it's a really, really bad idea, and… I'm going to shut up now," he says, realizing who he's talking to.

"Let's hear it," Toph says, raising an eyebrow. "If you've got a solution to our little Avatar problem, I think we'd all like to know." Katara nods in agreement. If it's possible for Zuko to blush any more than he already is, he does it.

"No, it's a bad idea," he repeats, glancing at Katara.

"I'll be the judge of that," says Toph. "Let me hear it." Zuko bends to whisper in her ear, cheeks still flaming.

Katara looks on in amusement as a wicked grin spreads across the little earthbender's face. Zuko looks at her expression and bites his lip nervously.

"That is a great idea," Toph announces. "It would solve a lot of our problems right off!"

"A lot of our problems?" Zuko asks, frowning.

"Can I hear this great idea?" Katara says, grinning.

"No," Toph says. "It'll work better if you don't." Zuko's shoulders sag in relief. Then he looks back to Toph, a sudden look of absolute terror in his eyes. "Wait, we're actually doing it?" he asks, eyes wide.

"Oh, definitely," says Toph. "You better do your part."

Zuko buries his face in his hands.

"Okay, really," Katara says, putting her hands on her hips. "What's this plan of yours?"

"It's on a need-to-know basis," Toph says. "You don't need to know."

"Fine," Katara huffs.

"Or Zuko could tell you now," the earthbender says suddenly, shoving Zuko toward Katara and at the same time moving the partygoers with her bending so the Avatar has a clear view.

"Now?" Zuko says, staring.

"Do it, idiot!" Toph barks. Zuko shoots Katara an apologetic look.

"Sorry," he whispers hurriedly, then takes her face in his hands and kisses her.

Katara freezes for a second, shocked, then melts into the kiss, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck.

After a moment, he pulls back, staring at her. She smiles shyly. "That wasn't such a bad idea," she says.

A tentative grin spreads over his face. "You - you didn't mind?"

She gives him a look. "Zuko, I wouldn't have minded for the last two years."

He is back to staring at her. "Really?"

"It'd solve multiple problems, I said," Toph calls; her grin is about to split her face in half, it's so wide.

Katara and Zuko turn to glare at her. Shocked murmurs are running through the crowd.

"Oh, come on," Toph continues. "You two have been dancing around the subject of each other since the war ended. I figured it was about time." More whispers ensue.

"I think that's enough, Miss Bei Fong," Iroh says, suddenly appearing behind the little earthbender. She shrugs and heads for the spot where she last felt the Avatar's feather-light footsteps. Iroh turns to his nephew, one eyebrow raised. "Fire Lord Zuko?"

"I need to do some research," Zuko says. His fingers are still interlaced with Katara's. Iroh gives him a knowing look, smiles at Katara, and walks off. The crowd of partygoers around them is slowly dispersing now that the drama is over.

"Research?" Katara repeats, glancing up at Zuko curiously. Sokka stomps up before he can reply.

"You. Explain. Now," Sokka growls, jabbing a finger into Zuko's chest with each word.

"Uh… we were tired of Aang moping around?" he offers. "And talking to him wasn't working…"

"If I ever see the two of you kiss in a public space again, I'm going to separate you - forcibly," Sokka threatens. Katara rolls her eyes.

"Remind me to tell that to Suki the next time the two of you get together," she shoots back. Sokka winces.

"Is Aang okay?" Katara asks Toph, who has joined the group. She shrugs.

"Couldn't find him," she says, frowning. "He must have flown off before I could get to him."

"That's not good," Sokka says, concerned.

"He'll find his way back," Toph says. And I'll be there when he does, she added silently.

o0o

Toph was waiting in the garden for him when he finally flew back to the Imperial Palace. She felt his barely-there footsteps at the edge of the pond and felt a rush of relief go through her.

"Hey, Twinkle Toes," she said.

"Toph," he says. He sounds surprised. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep while you were still up pouting, now could I?" she says, crossing over to stand beside him. "You wanna talk about it?"

He's silent for a while, but Toph is patient. She can give him some time.

"It just… hurts, seeing her with someone else," he says finally. "I thought, after the war, that we'd be together. When we were, it was the best feeling in the world. I guess she didn't think so," he adds, bitterly.

"Apparently not," Toph says, noncommittally.

"And Zuko, of all people?" Aang demands. "She used to hate him!"

"And then she forgave him, and then he jumped in front of a lightning bolt for her," Toph says. "People change. You should know that, Twinkle Toes."

Aang's heartbeat picks up. "He jumped in front of a lightning bolt for her?"

"Oh. You didn't know about that?" Toph realizes she may have made a mistake, but tries to play it off like it's cool. "When they went to go fight Azula, Zuko challenged her to an Agni Kai. Katara was just supposed to be his backup. Then, in the middle of the fight, Azula shot lightning at Katara instead of shooting it at Zuko, who could redirect it. Zuko says he didn't think, he just dove. That's how he got that wicked scar on his chest, and why he wasn't crowned Fire Lord right away. Didn't you know that?"

"I knew he got hit by lightning in the fight with Azula," Aang says slowly. "But I didn't realize it was… for her."

"He's a good guy, Twinkle Toes," Toph says, knowing she might be pushing it but wanting him to realize that he needed to get over this. "She could do a lot worse."

"What, like me? " he says, gloomily.

Toph smacks him in the arm. He jumps. "Cut it out!" she yells. "This isn't you. You're better than this - this stupid, moany, person. Katara's happy. Zuko's happy. Can't you be happy for your friends? The Aang I know is always happy for his friends, no matter what. Get it together, airbender!" She folds her arms over her chest and scowls.

Aang is quiet. Finally, he says, "Thanks, Toph. You're right - "

"Of course I am," she snorts.

" - and I needed to understand that the world doesn't revolve around me and my feelings," Aang goes on. "Even though I am the Avatar," he adds, and Toph can hear the smile in his voice.

"So, you going to go to bed now?" she asks as he yawns.

"Why, are you tired?" he asks, a note of mischief in his tone.

She smirks. "Not on your life, Twinkle Toes."

"Wanna pull an all-nighter? Iroh has this awesome energy tea - it'll keep you up for days if you drink enough of it."

"You're on," Toph grins.

A/N: Eeeee! This is a milestone - the first thing I've written where Zuko and Katara have actually gotten together! I thought about making this its own oneshot, but then I was like, nah, let's finish up Sleepless in the Fire Nation. Yes, I am a Taang shipper. That's the natural one, if you're going with opposites like Zuko and Katara. Also, they're actually the same age, unlike another pairing I could mention *cough, Kataang, cough*.

Anyway, tell me what ya think! Please!