Chapter Text
Katara smiled fondly at the scene in front of her. Everyone was gathered at the palace in Ba Sing Se. Later on they’d have dinner with the Earth King, but for right now it was just the gang. The newly crowned Fire Lord drifted from table to table, handing out cups of Iroh’s best blend of jasmine green tea. Zuko looked so—handsome, she thought automatically. Unburdened, she firmly corrected herself. Her eyes lingered on his smiling face, obeying her heart rather than her mind.
For the first time since she lost her mother, Katara finally felt like she had time to breathe. Time to think, and to process what she wanted, rather than trying to take on the role of guardian and role model for everyone around her, while trying to save the world at the same time. She realized that Zuko must be feeling something similar. The war of the Avatar had been going on for him just as long as it had for her, but in some ways Zuko’s struggle had been even more painful. She’d always had the love and support of her family and friends. She’d never questioned whether her father loved her, never felt that she had to break and unmake herself to gain the acceptance of her people. And she never had to learn that she’d been on the wrong side of a war she didn’t start, but was obligated to help end.
No wonder he looked as if several tons of weight had been lifted from him, even as he now bore the responsibility of leading his nation.
“Zuko, stop moving around—I’m trying to capture the moment!”
All eyes turned to Sokka, bent over a piece of paper, paintbrush in hand. His voice changed from scolding to wistful. “I wanted to do a painting, so we’d always remember the good times together.”
Katara’s heart swelled. This was one of her favorite things about her brother: beneath his bluster, there was a strong current of sentimentality.
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Sokka,” she said.
Then she looked at the painting. Sokka’s artistic talents were—well, he always worked very hard on his art, and that was the important thing, but—
“Wait. Why did you give me Momo’s ears?!”
“Those are your hair loopies!”
The rest of the gang crowded around to look, too, and everyone had feedback.
“At least you don’t look like a porcupine. My hair is not that spiky,” said Zuko.
“I look like a man,” Suki casually observed.
The complaints went on, until Toph finally exclaimed, “Well I think you all look perfect!”
Everyone laughed, including Sokka. Katara looked up to see that Aang had slipped out of the room and onto the patio, probably to spend time with Appa. She was a little worried about him; he’d been uncharacteristically quiet since defeating Ozai. She followed him outside, and found him leaning against the railing and staring out over Ba Sing Se. He smiled softly when he noticed her approach.
“How are you, Aang? How are you really feeling?” she asked him. His smile widened, and she knew he’d anticipated the question.
“I’m okay. I guess I never really let myself wonder what this would be like. You know, after. Ever since you broke me out of the ice, I’ve been focused on Ozai. Well, that and penguin sledding.” He gave her one of his Aang-bright grins, wide enough to crinkle his eyes and transform his whole face. In a sudden flash of understanding she realized no matter how things changed as he grew into his role as the Avatar, he’d always be her best friend.
The comforting feeling lasted even after his expression fell and turned thoughtful again.
“Everything else was just going to have to wait, and now—”
“Now you don’t have to wait anymore,” she supplied. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Yeah, but there’s so much I have to do. The Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation need help rebuilding, and the Southern Water Tribe needs help surviving, at least until your population gets back to its normal size. And the Air Nomads—I’m not even sure what to do yet. It’s a lot to think about.”
“You don’t have to think about it, or change it alone. We’re all here for you, Aang. We’ll rebuild the world together.”
“You know, Zuko said the same thing.” He looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eye. “You and Zuko really have a lot in common. More than you want to admit, I think.”
Katara looked out over the rooftops of Ba Sing Se, hoping her blush didn’t show up too brightly.
“Zuko has turned out to be a lot different than I thought at first. I’m glad he’s on our side.”
Aang hmm’d in agreement, but she could still feel his gaze on her.
“Do you remember the players on Ember Island?”
How could she forget? She’d never felt so vulnerable, so cracked open as when she saw the stage version of herself kissing Zuko in the crystal cave. She still wished she knew who wrote that damn play, so she could wring their neck for embarrassing her. And for shoving into her face that which she wanted, but knew she could never have.
“Mmm-hmm,” she mumbled, still looking away.
“I talked to Zuko that night after we left, about his feelings for you.”
At this she startled in shock and turned to look at him, stunned into silence.
“I feel a certain responsibility toward the young lad. I am technically his great-grandfather, after all.” Another grin, while Katara just stared at him. “I figured if even some stranger knew enough about how you both felt to include it in the play, I should tell him that I knew, too. He was so worried that Sokka and I wouldn’t approve, and so convinced he didn’t deserve you, that he never even stopped to wonder if you liked him, too. I—I told him you do. I hope you aren’t mad.”
Katara felt tears fill her eyes. The Ember Island play was so long ago, so much had happened, they’d been through so much—he’d taken a bolt of lightning through the chest for her—but he’d never said anything, never given the slightest indication that he might feel anything more than friendship for her. And he’d known about her crush the whole time. She wished she could ask Toph to make the earth open up and swallow her.
“I’m not mad, Aang,” she said in a small voice. “I just wish you hadn’t said anything.”
“But why? Now that we’ve defeated Ozai, you and Zuko can be together.”
“Shh!” Katara whipped around to make sure no one else was paying attention. Fortunately, they weren’t. Everyone else was still inside, enjoying their tea. “I can’t be with Zuko! He’s with Mai. He doesn’t like me that way.”
“Uh, Katara?” Aang looked at her as though she’d been drinking psychedelic cactus juice, or had grown a second head. “Mai is definitely not with Zuko anymore. He broke up with her when he left to join us. There’s a story there, but it’s not mine to tell. They’re friends again, so that’s good, but she’s with Ty Lee now.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, ‘oh,’” said Aang, smirking at her a bit. “Wow, you two really are similar. You know the other reason he didn’t want you to find out how he feels? He was convinced I was in love with you, and you’d choose me over him.”
“Huh?”
Katara was really going to have to work on lengthening her sentences at some point. “That’s what I said! ‘Huh?’ Cause, of course I love you. You’re Katara! But I thought it was obvious that it wasn’t like that for us.”
“I would’ve thought so too, but I guess not,” she mused.
“So…?” Aang waggled his eyebrows, playfully suggestive.
“I don’t know, I guess we’ll see what happens.” She needed to spend time with Zuko himself, to make sure Aang wasn’t somehow mistaken. She frowned in thought. “Why are you so invested in the two of us getting together?”
To her surprise, Aang blushed a little.
“Well, for one thing, the most important thing, I want you both to be happy. For another thing, I think it’s good to show everyone out there that people from different nations can put aside their differences and fall in love. I think you two can set a really good example for the future.”
“That all sounds very reasonable, Aang. But why are you blushing?”
“Do you remember On Ji, from the Fire Nation?”
It took a moment, but the memory finally came back to her.
“The girl from the school? The one you danced with?”
Aang nodded, blushing harder. Katara laughed outright and drew him into a spontaneous hug. When she released him, she wagged her finger in mock scolding.
“So that’s the real reason we couldn’t keep you away from that school.”
He shrugged, looking sheepish, but didn’t deny it. They were quiet for a moment, just enjoying each other’s company.
“Zuko’s planning on going to find his mother,” said Aang.
“I’m glad. He deserves to know what happened to her, and maybe they can see each other again.” She paused. “I’ll offer to go with him. I would have anyway, even if we hadn’t talked about…all this. He was there for me when I—” A flash of memory behind her eyes, of bloodbending the wrong Fire Nation raider, of raining ice down on a pathetic, murderous fool.
“When I needed his help.”
“Good.” Aang patted her on the arm. “Now let’s go in, before Toph hogs the rest of the tea.”
She chuckled, and followed him back inside. Just as they crossed into the room, the gentle scent of green tea and jasmine leaves floated out to her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the smell, smiling involuntarily. When had she begun associating the smell of jasmine with Zuko? It must have been early in their travels together. He always favored jasmine green tea; he brewed it for the gang every day, mostly as a peace offering at first. But she could also tell that it was comforting to him, because it reminded him of Iroh. She’d grown to find comfort in the ritual, too, and now even the smell of jasmine made her feel safe and warm, and brought with it memories of sitting around the campfire exchanging stories. Of his hesitant smile, and the guarded hope in his eyes.
He looked up the second she walked back into the room, as if he’d been waiting for her. He gave her that same tentative half-smile he always did, but he must’ve seen something in her expression, because his eyes lingered on hers longer than either of them would normally have dared. She felt her heart beat faster and her cheeks heat. He looked away right before Toph said, far too casually to actually be casual, “I’ve been meaning to tell you Katara, you look very pretty today.”
“Why thank you, Toph,” she laughed. Zuko held up a fresh cup of tea in offering, which she gladly accepted. She turned back to Toph. “Though I don’t know why I look any different to you today than any other day.”
“Touché, Sugar Queen. It’s true, I’m blind. But someone’s blood pressure keeps skyrocketing whenever you’re around, even more than normal, so I can only assume you look extra hot.” Toph turned her face in Zuko’s direction. “What do you think, Zuko?”
“What do I—what do you mean, what do I think? Are you asking if—”
“I think he’s contemplating burning your feet again, for being a troublemaker. And I’m thinking that if he does, I won’t heal you this time,” Katara said, but without anger. From the corner of her eye she watched Zuko slump in relief at not having to answer the question. Toph grinned, neither hurt nor intimidated.
“All right, all right, I’ll leave Sparky alone.”
“Sparky?” Zuko spluttered.
“Better than ‘Sugar Queen.’”
“That is debatable.”
“I’ll leave you two crazy kids alone. I’m going to find some food,” Toph announced, and in another moment she’d disappeared into the depths of the castle.
Zuko looked at her, and for a split second she believed everything Aang had just told her, in spite of all her lingering doubts. The thought made her brave.
“I’m going with you, to find your mother.”
He blinked in surprise, but when she held his gaze he finally shook his head and smiled.
“I should’ve known you’d find out before I had the chance to tell you. And that you’d insist on coming.”
“I want to help you.”
“And I want your help. Trust me, Katara, your offer means more than you can know.” He was quiet for a moment, staring into his tea. “For so long I only had Uncle, and even then I fought him every step of the way. It’s nice to have more than one person who wants to help me.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “Your uncle and I aren’t the only ones, you know.”
He nodded, and they were quiet again. Iroh’s music drifted through the room, keeping them from feeling obligated to talk.
“Do you know anything about where she is?”
“No. I’ve already gone to my father once, but he wasn’t exactly forthcoming. I think we’ll have to find another way.”
They brainstormed ideas for a little while, and finally decided to start with trying to find the guards that were on duty the night his mother disappeared. Someone, they reasoned, had to have helped her escape the city. Eventually Sokka called them away to dinner. Katara turned to follow her brother, but stopped when she felt Zuko’s hand on her elbow, gently holding her back.
She looked up at him in question, to find that his gaze back at her was direct and intense, his mouth set in lines of determination.
“You do look beautiful today, Katara. Today and every day.”
He didn’t wait long enough for her to answer. He just walked past her, leaving her rooted to the spot in shock.