While her fingers explored the uneven skin Zuko slid his hand to lightly rest at the crook of her wrist. Her skin was soft, his hand nothing but calluses and skin roughened and dried by the many years of firebending. His lashes lowered at the feel of her thumb beneath his eye. The candles extinguished completely, the same scent from earlier drifting along the air.

Katara was a waterbender; her abilities were capable of creating and restoring life. The memory of the healing water against his shoulder had been soothing, relaxing. It had put him at ease when it should have done the exact opposite considering their opposing elements. Not only that, it didn't matter whether their tempers flared - she was still able to calm him in the end no matter how mad he got.

"After I had woken up and realized what had happened," he started to speak, "I was infuriated. I remembered what you had done and then I had remembered what I had said." His eyes opened and he shook his head, looking down at her. "It didn't matter in the end. I was too incensed by the sheer fact alone that what you'd served as 'punishment', intentional or not, had made you no better than him."

Zuko paused, looking a little sheepish, lips quirking briefly into a small smile. "Uh- though I wouldn't exactly call you a monster."