They collapsed onto the bed in the Fire Nation palace unison when the sun was still in the sky, its slanting evening rays turning the bedroom a bright gold and making the rose-colored bedspread they had settled against glow. Birdsong, light and carefree, wrapped around them, and the smell of blooming honeysuckle hung in the air. They had been going since the moon still hung in an inky blue-black sky from the night before, and they were both beat.

Aang's head feel back against the pillows with a groan, and a moment later, he felt Katara drape herself across him, tucking her forehead into the crook of his neck and snuggling against him. He shifted to cradle her closer, fingers snatching at her loose hair.

"I feel like I could sleep for a week," Katara murmured, voice muffled.

"Hmm." He nuzzled her hair, breathing in flowers and the distinct smell of her. "I know. Days like today can take years off of a person." He absently reached up to tug her small bun out to let the rest of her hair down so he could tenderly rake his hand through it, reveling in the feel of the silky strands slipping through his fingers. "At least we're done now."

"Yeah," she sighed softly. Moving slowly, she shifted up to kiss him, her lips soft and unhurried. He sighed happily and shifted against her, pressing his leg gently between her own and making her breath hitch. She broke the kiss to whisper his name, pressing her forehead against his and locking her bright, clear blue eyes with his gray ones.

"You know what we haven't done in a while?" she breathed softly.

A tiny smile quirked the corner of his mouth. "What's that?"

"Traumatized Zuko."

His smile turned to a wicked grin.

"What do you have in mind?"

She twisted away from him to sit up and stretch, giving him a smile he had come to associate with pleasantly exhausting nights, and said, "Throne room's probably empty right now, wouldn't you think?"

He pushed himself up on his hands with a laugh. "For the moment...but that might change if you can't keep quiet, sweetie."

She giggled mischievously, dragging him over to her to kiss him hard and deep, breaking away a solid two minutes later to ask breathlessly, "How far do you think we can get before he catches us in there?"

"Let's find out."