She took the time to remember this moment, because she hadn't thought this would happen. She touched his cheeks, the lines of his fate, the touch of his lips: there was no way she was going to let this pass. She returned the noise, her hand wrapping around his wrist.

And when they let go, finally, she stared into his eyes, long, intensely. He could have said "just joking" right now and really dashed her, she knew that, but it was worth it to share this moment, just the two of them. She had vague imprints of what entailed romance: Katara and Aang, from her perspective, the short time with Matt, but this felt real, strong.

She gave him a smile. "I wanted to do that for longer than you think," she admitted.