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There are certain things she notices about Zuko in the few weeks since they've become friends.
The first thing is how he shows affection through gift giving, even if it isn't a gift giving in the material sense.
The first day back from their "life-changing field trip" as Toph had called it, he gave her the gift of not having to lift a finger the entire day .
He'd made breakfast. Simple, spiced congee with pig-chicken eggs and slices of pig-chicken itself. One of the better ways she had ever tasted congee, she had to admit.
He'd taken care of collecting and even washing the laundry. She really didn't know what to say to that, other than a murmured thank you when she found him finishing up by the washing bin . There were few who could stomach the smell of Sokka's dirty clothes. Not even Suki would go near his laundry.
He had just given her a nod and the tiniest of smiles. Katara decided that the way it had softened his features ... well it certainly made her stomach flutter. She supposed the smile itself was a gift of his own. She had responded with a smile of her own and watched as something flickered behind his eyes.
He had taken care of dinner and rounding them all up to eat while she had napped in the middle of the day. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ever had that luxury. Had she ever had that luxury.
He'd made them tea too. And a special relaxing blend just for her. "My Uncle Iroh called this his relaxing tea," there was a hint of mirth behind his voice, like a joke only he knew. "I know my tea isn't the best ... but I hope this helps."
He was right. The tea was teetering on being bitter. But it also did help to ease of her shoulders and the heaviness of her legs.
When she thanked him for the tea he'd given her the rest of the blend's canister.
"Zuko, this was your Uncle's I can't-"
"It's a gift Katara, friends give each other gifts right?"
He'd sounded hesitant on the last bit, but she wasn't hesitant when she gave him another hug and a fleeting kiss on his cheek .
"They do."
The way his cheeks had colored had made her stomach flutter all over again. Another tiny smile that only added to the flutters.
Maybe her cheeks had colored too. It was there that she decided being friends with Zuko wasn't so bad.
And from then on she can count on Zuko to help her with the chores, with cooking, with keeping the house as tidy as how they found it . To help her with the others on particularly difficult days. Slowly , she sees their group become more than a family of friends into simply a family.
Toph over dinner one evening teases that she's the Mom and he's the Dad of the group. To which Sokka wholeheartedly agrees. "And I'm the fun uncle!" he adds Suki would only give Katara a knowing smirk before looking over at Zuko, and then making her own addition, "Well then I'm the badass aunt ."
"What does that make me?" Aang chirps in.
"The son that's not escaping his firebending practice tomorrow," Zuko tells him as he picks up the Airbender's bowl and pats his tattooed head in a way that is so gentle Katara can't believe how much he actually has changed .
She hears Toph chortle into her almost empty bowl.
Aang makes a noise of protest and looks over to her.
She raises her eyebrow, "Listen to your father."
The group laughs and even Aang cracks a smile at that one.
Zuko's laugh rings lower than the rest and when she hears it her heart skips a beat. His laugh in itself feels like more a gift than all the help he's been giving her. (Although she truly appreciates that too.)
******
The second time she'd seen his gift giving in action was the way he trained alongside all of them. How he was almost unnervingly patient with them all. How he adapted to all of them. How he gave them all the gift of his time, his experience, and along the way his friendship.
With Sokka he'd train almost daily, honing the Water Tribe's boys skills with the sword until Sokka got too tired or too distracted by, well, honestly , Sokka could only get distracted by Suki .
But, despite the fact that her brother at times seemed to be clumsier than a newborn polar-dog bear trying to stand with his sword, Zuko was patient and silently encouraging. She knew how much Sokka enjoyed his time with Zuko. Growing up with no other boys his age had been for him, almost as hard as it had been for her to grow up without any girls her own age.
Sokka enjoyed having Zuko for a friend or as he would put it "My sword buddy!" to which Zuko would groan and turn about as red as his nation's flag and grumble something like "please don't say it that way."
With Aang, he certainly was not an easy teacher by any means. But despite the strictness he seemed to adopt with the young Avatar, he never failed to praise the young Airbender . Aang thrived under positive praise she knew, and it seemed that Zuko had realized that somewhere along the way. For every admonishment, because he was still Zuko, there would be a praise. He'd even taken to accepting the Airbender's antics with a lot more sighing and less yelling. And, to Aang's delight, less hotsquats.
With Suki, Zuko seemed to take a step back. He'd watch her moves, try to counter them, and then learn from her. He respected the Kyoshi Warrior a great deal. The most he would do would be to give her pointers in which to counterattack any of his moves where he could and if Suki didn't figure it out almost as soon as he had moved.
"Women are highly respected as warriors in my nation should they choose to hone their skills. Suki is beyond impressive," he'd told her, "if anything I learn more from her than she could learn from me."
And this had only bugged her slightly because he'd followed it up a bit awkwardly, but nonetheless sincerely , with, "Actually, it's the same for you. You're amazing Katara. You never cease to surprise me in the way you fight. You dance with your element in a way that ... wow. It's almost like it's an extension of you rather than just something you bend, you know? Almost like .... swords. I think you'd even be better than Sokka if you ever decided to train with swords ... but don't tell him I told you that."
"On my Water Tribe pride," she'd assured while nervously glancing away from the soft, almost dreamy look in his eyes . "Would you teach me to fight with a sword if I ever did decide to learn."
She found his enthusiasm entirely endearing, "Yes! Of course! I mean should you ever, yeah-... You'd have Sokka right but, uh, yeah I would teach you."
"On your Fire Nation pride?" she'd teased.
He laughed, deep and raspy, and all the while intoxicating. She wanted to hear that laugh some more. Wanted to bottle it up and keep it selfishly .
"On my Fire Nation honor."
With Toph, he knew Toph struggled with fighting against fire more than she seemed to struggle against Airbending.
"The moves are almost too quick sometimes. And you know, there's the whole thing about being burned," she'd said to him.
Afterwards, he'd been careful to teach her the most basic movements broken down as best as possible . He'd let her feel the distinct vibrations for each one of them no matter how many times he had to repeat the same move or sequence.
Toph's sparring against him improved and so did her confidence-although Toph would never admit that-against fighting against fire .
And after each session, he'd let Toph climb atop his back and he'd carry her around until she decided she needed to feel the Earth . He'd do it as if it were no big deal; clear amusement on his face.
She wondered if this was how he'd been as a big brother to Azula before the Fire Princess had gone ... well .... insane.
'He'd be a wonderful brother if only ...' she mused.
Then a little voice in the back of her head found it's way to the forefront and whispered, 'He'd be a wonderful father too.'
She ignored the way she felt her body flush at that.
And with her, well, when she thought about how he gave her the gift of the perfect sparring partner, well, her legs seemed to turn into jelly .
It wasn't sparring, not really. It was more like a dance. A dance of two opposing elements. A dance of fire and ice. Of the Sun and Moon. Of Yin and Yang. Of Zuko and Katara. Not a waterbender and a firebender. Not a chief's daughter and a Lord's son. It was a dance of nothing but them.
He was her perfect complement she had decided one evening by the ocean. The clash of their elements had created a stifling heat that had coursed all the way through her veins and into her heart. As the steam seeped into her pores and she felt her entire being kissed with fire. And when she looked at him, bathed in the glow of the sunset with the ocean lapping at his ankles as he caught his breath, she decided he was a gift as he was.
Beautiful, complicated, and entirely too much for her. But she wanted more and more of what he could give much too selfishly .
******
The third time she his his gift giving in action is when he returns from a solo trip from the market.
He'd slipped out early in the morning before anybody but her had awoken.
When she'd caught him the look on his face reminded her of when Sokka would try to sneak extra seal jerky from GranGran and their grandmother had catch him in the act .
"Where are you going?" she'd asked with clear amusement in her voice.
"I'm uh- I'm ... going to mediate. Yeah, meditate. By the beach, hmm, I'll see you in a bit okay? ..."
"With a full bag of money?"
His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he tried-but failed-to hide the money bag from her sight.
"Yeah?"
She giggled. She had actually giggled like the young carefree woman she should have been. His one good eyebrow had risen at this.
"Don't want to take Aang and Toph along huh?" she teased. Even she had to admit they were a handful when they all went together to the marketplace.
".... and Sokka."
She laughed more at the admission. "Well you'll need a basket to bring back supplies, unless you planned on growing extra arms."
He laughed and how she reveled in the gift of his laugh.
Seeing him off had felt entirely too domestic. Like seeing a vision of her parents-of Kya seeing Hakoda off before a hunting trip-that she felt like something was missing.
She used all her willpower to not kiss him goodbye.
When he returned later that afternoon, with supplies and some extra fabrics for mending, she still couldn't shake the fact that the only thing she wanted to do was kiss him.
When he joined her in the kitchen to help with dinner she felt a complete buzz overcome her body. Like when she had too much rice wine.
"Hey Katara," he greeted as he set some vegetables on the table.
"Hi Zuko," she murmured, trying to avoid his eyesight.
"Something wrong?" he asked coming to stand before her.
"Uhm," she bit her lip. His eyes-eyes like melted gold that captured the sunlight so wonderfully-looked concerned.
"You alright?"
She shook herself, "No yeah, I'm fine. Just a little dazed today. I guess. Closer to the comet and all."
He sighed deeply. "Sometimes I wish we could make time go slower. We need all we can get."
She nodded still not able to meet his gaze.
"Hey, you know you can talk to me right?"
She nodded again and met his eyes. There was a smile playing on the corners of his lips.
"Yes I know." She knows all too well. She's found herself staying up late into the night talking to him about everything and nothing at all. Her loves and her fears. The trivial things that can be said in the sunlight; the more difficult things that can only be said in the night.
He takes her hand. "I, ah, I actually came in here to give you something. A gift."
"Oh?" she says, gripping his hand a little tighter. 'You are my gift,' that voice inside her head nearly screams.
"I found it in a stall almost at the end of the market. I had picked up something for everyone ...." he trails off.
Of course he had, she smiles, he's thoughtful like that.
"Before you give me my gift, what did you get the others?"
"Huh?" he seems snapped out of a personal reverie. "Oh yeah, well. For Sokka I got a special cleaning oil for his sword. Well I got some for me too, right? Yeah. Uhm. I got Suki some throwing knives, she ah, wanted some. For Toph," he laughs because even he knows Toph is the hardest person to shop for, "Well she didn't sarcastically thank me this time, so I guess she liked it . Metal bracelets, so she can wear or you know ...." he laughs again. He shines against the light that streams through the window; Katara can't stop looking at him now. "Destroy them, or practice with them. It doesn't matter. She liked them."
"I'll make sure she doesn't ruin her gift," she says.
"Nah, let her," he tells her and squeezes her hand.
She purses her lips and rolls her eyes before quietly chuckling.
"And for Aang?"
"Simple. Dessert."
Of course. "Moon-peach tarts?"
"A whole box of them."
He is a gift, she thinks again, he is a gift.
"Now about your gift," he begins. He moves his other hand into the pocket of his robe and takes out a tiny box. "I know how much you dislike not being able to wear your mother's necklace here. And uh, well I saw this and thought of you."
He deftly opens the box with one hand and her breath catches.
The stone is white, swirling with purple and a blue like her own eyes and flecks of pink. It seems to glow where the dwindling sun filters in through the window. The ribbon is red, but the stone reminds her so much her home's sky during the sunrise and sunset that she can't help the tear that rolls down her cheek and the hug that she engulfs him in.
His arms fasten around her waist almost instantly. She can feel where his lips are near her ear, his warm breath caressing the sensitive tip of her ear as he whispers. "So do you like it?"
She laughs into his shoulder before letting him go.
"Yes! It's ... well it's perfect! Thank you!"
She takes the box from his hands and takes the necklace out.
"The stone is a moonstone," he says sheepishly, "Uh, moonstone ... moon ... waterbender ... it, ah, seemed to fit."
The smile he gives her is almost to precious for her to take. She has to turn before he can see just how red her cheeks can be. They feel like she's been walking in the blasting winds of her homeland for hours on because of how much they burn.
"Will you ... put it on for me?" She takes her hair and pulls it over her shoulder, leaving the back of her neck completely exposed.
She feels his arms encircle her as his hands reach for the necklace in her hands. She resists the urge to lean and melt into his warmth.
The way his fingers skim alongside the back of her back is almost too much. She swears that her heartbeat reverberates throughout the entire house. His hands rest on her shoulders briefly after he ties the knot.
"There," he whispers. His breath skims her skin and she shivers. She wants ... she wants his lips to kiss her there a little bit more than she ever thought she would.
She turns back to him.
"Beautiful," he breathes and then it happens almost too instantly.
She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him closer. She feels his gasp against her lips before he wraps one arms around her waist pulling her even closer, body flush against his, while his other hand comes up to cup her cheek.
Their lips move against each other in a perfect dance. Pushing and pulling like her element; burning and fiery like his element. His tongue begs for entrance and she meets him in the middle. It feels like too much and not enough at the same time. She needs more, more.
She can feel the need for air rising to meet her but she can't seem to pull away. She's never felt more alive in her life. The hand on her waist has moved to rest at her hip and her lightly squeezes the flesh there.
When he moves to pepper kisses along her jaw, and then kisses her on her neck, she swears she sees stars. She's afraid she'll bend the ocean and flood them all if she's not able to keep her composure. She feels herself whimper and then moan as he bites and sucks at the juncture where the column of her neck meets her shoulder .
Her hands have moved themselves into his hair and she pulls as the feelings heighten. He groans against her shoulder and then he moves back up to face her.
His eyes, those perfect liquid gold eyes, sear her. This time he kisses her first and she thinks that if time were to stop right here, that would be perfect.
But despite the blinding almost divinely sprinkled passion that thrums between both of them, they are still human and they need air . He presses his forehead against hers before placing a sweet, brief kiss there. A thrill runs down her spine.
"Maybe I should give you gifts more often," he chuckles. His breathing is ragged and he's entirely flushed. He's truly beautiful, and complicated and she wants all of him.
"You are my gift," she tells him meaning every single word. "And I'm so grateful for you."
She kisses him again, and this time she sees stars, and she imagines their future together.
When they part he murmurs against her lips, "And you're my gift. I ... I love you, Katara."
Her heart nearly bursts. Words she's been meaning to say for weeks now spill out of her lips happily , "I love you, Zuko."
******
Years later, when the moonstone sits on her Fire Lady's redesigned crown, and she can hear their children and their family laughing as they play on the beach, she turns around to kiss her husband.
"You're my gift, I love you."