Chapter Text
The first time she saw Zuko, when he didn't know she was there, was in Bo Sing Se. She had been looking for a quiet spot to sit down and relax with a cup of tea, and maybe some biscuits her grumbling tummy cried, a new tea shop catching her eye.
The Jasmine Dragon.
Delighted to have found a place so soon, one that didn't seem too busy, she moved to step inside when a waiter caught her eye. She could only see the back of his tall frame, short black hair ruffled slightly on his head as he placed the tea on the table before him. Another waiter was leaned against the counter, chatting with an older man Katara found slightly familiar looking, but she brushed it off because there were a lot of old people in the world. A slimmer man stood by him, brow arched but lips quirked up in a smile.
The soft sound of people chattering quietly around her, the dim lights giving the shop a soothing atmosphere she'd been craving for so long, and the mouth watering scent of tea and biscuits wafting around her drew her further into the shop. Just as she was going to call for the waiter, she caught sight of the waiter's profile and froze.
She couldn't ever mistake that sickening marred flesh around cold amber eyes, she'd seen it (and fought with it) often enough during her adventures with Aang and Sokka, but something about him was.....different. Careful not to draw his attention, she slid into a booth partially cascaded in shadows towards the back of the shop. Katara watched as the waiter, Prince Zuko, bowed slightly to an old couple he'd just delivered tea to before placing his tray on the counter and leaning against it, looking oddly content for such a spoiled brat.
Katara wasn't usually one to judge so harshly, but the way he'd shouted at her people, attacked a helpless Airbender boy, and fought relentlessly with a fourteen year old girl (herself), all in the name of reclaiming some honor or something stupid like that, well.....it's not like you could blame her!
Zuko was bad news when he was around, though usually he was more direct in his approach: tearing through the streets on Komodo Rhinos and shooting fire balls into buildings left and right. Announcing his arrival with that stupid proud voice of his before trying to obliterate anyone in his path to Aang.
Basically, Zuko wasn't a low profile guy. And while they were in the Upper Ring of the Earth Kingdom, which was far from 'slumming it', it still confused her as to why the hell the heir to the throne of the Fire Nation was serving tea to people his nation considered beneath them. Not to mention the small smile he wore and the lack of tension in his face and shoulders.
It was just weird. But Katara really wanted some tea, even if Zuko might help prepare it or brew it, so she flagged down a waiter that wasn't the fire prince, and proceeded to track Zuko's every move while she waited for her tea and snack.
***
The second time she saw Zuko, without him knowing, was after he'd already joined their group. It was a shock to her system to wake up each day face-to-face with someone who'd terrorized her and her friends for months, laughing with the boy he'd been trying to capture not too long ago. It boiled her blood to see everyone grow to accept and then befriend the bane of her existence, to see everyone trust him so easily as she once had.
The memory of green crystals, surprisingly smooth ravaged pink skin, and a hesitant bond between lost souls grieving for their mothers constantly plagued her when he was around. The constant reminder of her mistake, of the way she just cared too much about a sob story to actually remember who she was talking to, was tearing away at her, making her unusually snappish towards everyone. She had especially pointed barbs for the seemingly repentant firebender, but that didn't stop her from shouting at Sokka to practice his damn sparring elsewhere, or at Toph for nearly crushing Aang under a massive boulder. Her friends were tiptoeing around her now, barely looking her in the eye in fear she might tear them apart.
It was exhausting.
She had just woken up from a decent night's sleep, scrubbing the crust from her eyes as she stumbled about her room in the temple, yawning and stretching as she shrugged into her Water Tribe dress, clasping her mom's necklace around her neck before examining her face in a small mirror she carried around. Katara had no clue what time it was, how high the sun was, or if anyone would be waiting to pounce on her as she went about preparing breakfast, so when she stepped out into the hall and was met with the brisk air of sunrise, she was a little surprised.
Of the many things the waterbender was known for, waking up before late morning was not one of them. Unfortunately, once she was awake, she was really awake. It was a little too early to get breakfast started since most of her companions would be sleeping for a few more hours, but she did remember quite suddenly that Aang and Zuko held their firebending lessons at sunrise. She knew this because they would walk into the stone clearing for breakfast already wide awake and complaining of being starved (well, Aang did; Zuko never really said anything.)
She'd always wanted to see Aang's lessons, to see his progress with such a dangerous but vital element for taking down the Fire Lord. She still couldn't shake the sensation of flames searing the delicate mocha skin of her fingers and palms, throwing them up to protect her face from being burned by his carelessness. It wasn't like she was afraid of fire, but Aang handling fire made her anxious.
Deciding to go find the pair, she turned towards the temple she'd just come from and tried to figure out how to get to the temple yard that she'd heard Aang tittering on about to Toph and Suki the day before. It took her quite a while, the sun sliding higher into the blue, orange, and pink sky, but she finally heard a stern voice and then the crackling of flames in the chilly air. Not sure if they'd want to be disturbed while training, especially with how easily Aang was distracted by her, she kept to the shadows, ducking behind massive pillars if they seemed like they might look in her general direction. As much as she despised Zuko, he was helping Aang greatly by training him to face off with his father in the coming months.
It would be rude of her to take Aang's attention from his teacher, no matter how much she didn't like them being alone together. Sneaking a peek around the cold stone she had pressed her body against when the Avatar had suddenly swung away from Zuko and belted a stream of flickering orange flames into the sky, earning a scowl from the prince.
"I said ROAR!" She watched in amazement as the tiny streams he'd let out suddenly expanded, lungs pressing out a mighty roar, much to Zuko's apparent approval. She crept closer to them, slinking through the shadows like a common criminal. It was to keep Aang's focus on his lesson. She had to stay out of his way.
"Good, now lets go over your forms again. Remember, strong breathing is key to firebending. Now punch! Kick! Turn! No, the other way, Aang. Now the other hand....good, good." She watched in amusement and awe as Aang and Zuko worked together to teach his body the new movements that summoned the bright flares. She would never admit it out loud, but the stuffy prince was quite the teacher: firm when he needed to be, praises dotted through his instruction to encourage Aang when he did something right, and of course a hard look and a raised voice when he didn't seem to get it quite right.
Then they both stood side by side, tossed away their shirts, and fell into what seemed to be familiar forms for them, the easy way they worked in synch with the other to summon the flames she'd come to appreciate at times leaving her awestruck. They looked like a proper team, a force to be reckoned with. All too soon, they faced each other and bowed, Aang saying something she couldn't hear before walking off, and Zuko sitting down by a fountain and toweling the beads of sweat she figured must be on his skin.
While her mind seemed to be telling her to go start breakfast, her eyes stayed trained on the pale skin glowing under the sunlight that was now filling the clearing. He sat there for a long moment, hair hanging over his face so she couldn't see what he was doing or feeling and elbows braced on his thighs, hunching over slightly as he absently fiddled with the cloth in his hands. Despite her determination to hate him for the rest of time, her traitorous eyes scanned over his body, cataloging the broad shoulders, lean torso corded with tight muscles, and his arms flexing slightly.
Despite everything he'd done to them, to her, she felt the unwarranted blush creeping across her cheeks and down her neck as she continued to watch him, body pressed against the cool stone to get a little closer without alerting him. He stood slowly, stretching his arms above his head before collapsing in on himself in exhaustion. Scooping up his shirt, her eyes followed him as he moved to the steps leading to the main clearing everyone congregated in, giving her an unobscured view of his toned back and confident swagger. She tried to keep her eyes from wandering lower but obviously someone from above hated her as she continued checking his retreating form out.
Damn.
***
The third time she saw Zuko, without him being aware, was during the intermission of a terribly tragic play Sokka and Suki had insisted they'd go see to distract themselves from the comet coming soon. Everyone was grumpy thanks to the terrible portrayal of their selves on stage, save for Toph who loved being played by a mountain of a man who screamed at the other actors on stage to "see them".
It was a really stupid, awful, and insulting play. Even Zuko had looked miffed about his character, grumbling quietly about how he wasn't that stiff and what was up with that hair? It made her giggle a little, which of course meant that her character would come on stage and cry about something stupid, which earned her a few nudges and giggles. Aang also seemed very upset over the whole thing, glaring at the stage and crossing his arms in a pout.
"I'm funnier than that!" She rolled her eyes, exchanging a look with Zuko, before settling back against the bench. Her brother was utterly ridiculous.
During the intermission, which they all thanked the spirits for, Katara went to find Aang because something in the play had sent him away, and she really wanted to make sure he was okay. After discovering him staring up at the moon, then being subjected to a severely unwanted kiss, she shoved away from him and tore back into the building. She knew how he felt, had known for quite a while, but she just wasn't ready for that, and if she were being honest, she wasn't sure if she'd ever be.
Winding her way through the throng of playgoers, apologizing to anyone she bumped into, she caught sight of a familiar thick black cloak leaning over the railing. When she'd left, Zuko had been with Toph, who was now missing much to Katara's chagrin, but now he leaned heavily on his forearms. His hands were buried in his thick hair, shoulders tense and his head bowed. Something pulled at her heart to go comfort him, but she kept to the wall next to some small vendor shouting for people to buy snacks and drinks.
They had recently made up after his attempt to get her the revenge she really felt she wanted for her mother's murder. It had been enough to prove his loyalty, persistence, and self-sacrifice, as well as his understanding of her feelings towards the man, which Sokka and Aang couldn't seem to grasp at all. It had been enough for her to forgive him for everything, to push her anger aside and accept him as her friend and teammate. She quickly realized Zuko was great to talk to, despite not being the best with his words, because he truly worked to understand the person instead of shoving his ideals on them like he was always right. He understood the burning desire to avenge her mother, meeting her anger and hurt head on rather than diminish it or ignore it.
She liked that the most about him.
From her relatively safe distance away, she let her eyes wander over the small bits of his face she could now see since he'd dropped his hands, trailing over his shoulders, down his back, and slowly across his legs. It had been weeks since he joined and she still couldn't knock the stupid flutter in her belly or the way her eyes clung to him when he trained Aang on the beach, shirtless body executing moves with precision and strength that showed off his build very nicely. Toph constantly asked what had her so worked up, but Katara never replied.
After all, she would know anything she said was a lie.
***
The fourth, and final time, she saw Zuko when he didn't notice was an incredibly terrifying situation for her. When he had been flat out on his back, groaning occasionally but never really waking up. She'd sat there for a week, snapping at anyone who tried to talk her into leaving him for a moment, eyes never wandering far from his sleeping form surrounded by silk sheets and thick blankets. The food brought to her was dry and flavorless as she scarfed it down, eating only because she needed the strength to heal Zuko (and maybe because, if he'd been awake, he'd glare at her and demand she eat something to keep her strength up).
The thought oddly comforted her.
Time had seemed to drag on excruciatingly slow since that final showdown, since he'd thrown himself in front of a deadly bolt of lightening so that Katara wouldn't be struck, practically throwing everything away for her with both hands. It was the most idiotic, scary, and oddly charming thing he'd ever done in the short time they'd known each other. He'd almost died, would have if not for his determination and her quick thinking, which led to her shouting "Idiot!" at him constantly, hands twisted in his torn tunic as he lay in his bed, drifting in and out of consciousness while she cried and shouted and jabbed a finger into his chest.
She was a complete mess thanks to her former enemy turned best friend throwing his life, his throne, and his nation's future away...for her. It was too much for her to fathom, too much for her to form words to explain to her friends who looked at her with too large eyes, touched her with the lightest touches as if she might break, and hardly ever spoke to her, save for Aang who tried to get her to talk with him. She hated all of them, screaming for them to just stay away, yet the love for each of them grew each time they checked in on her and Zuko.
It was during this time of her breaking down and praying this foolish boy would wake up already that she had realized there was more to this feeling thrumming through her body than fear. Yeah she was afraid he'd never open his eyes, trace those soft golden eyes over her face and scold her for worrying over him so much, that he wouldn't be able to lead his nation into better times, but there was something deeper, something bright and warm but so scary she wanted to run away from everyone. From the boy in the bed. Mostly from herself.
Somehow, in the crazy way fate worked, she'd fallen for the intelligent, stubborn, ridiculously good looking, caring, self-sacrificing, and dorky prince of the nation that was once her enemy. The people who took her mother away now offered her so much more as she traced the relaxed lines of his face, too caught up in her realizations and despair to do more than choke on her tears.
She never got to tell him though. A week had gone by since that heartbreaking time, and she was just too busy preparing Aang for the coronation ceremony once the firebender awoke, blinking open his eyes slowly and setting those haunting eyes on her. She wasn't sure if his bad eye could really take her in, but her body had flushed under the attention from his good eye, which was shimmering with joy but slightly clouded with sleep.
And probably pain medicine.