Work Text:
They say the candle burns bright but when Katara waits for Zuko to return from late night meetings the candle burns low, so low that she can barely see a few feet ahead. Barely. She has to light another one, and another one, and tries to keep them going until he returns.
A stupid tradition.
Sometimes he doesn’t reach back in time and Katara wakes groggily in the morning to find a blown out candle stub and a still warm imprint in the mattress. He’s always gone before she wakes up.
Katara closes back her eyes and massages her temples.