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It all started with a text from her brother. Apparently he and Suki had planned a last minute camping trip (so last minute they hadn't even bothered to ask whether she needed a ride) and had invited the rest of their friend group. This meant it was either get someone else to take her there, spend her money on a certainly very expensive cab, or just stay at her apartment like a sad, lonely hermit crab.
Katara pondered over her options while she waited for her lecture to start, placing her notebook and various colorful markers neatly on the desk.
She had just started on writing the date and title when he walked in. Zuko, the only one crazy enough to willingly take an 8 am math class on a Friday, and had the nerve to show up actually looking like he had his life together and to sit right beside her.
"Hey" she whispered, leaning in an attempt not to get noticed by the teacher.
It was the only class they shared, much to Katara's dismay. "Are you going to Sokka's camping thing? I need a ride because apparently we're the only ones with classes today and-"
"It's okay. I'll take you," he said, and she would be lying if she said she didn't notice the way he blushed when she smiled in return.
She also didn't miss the way he was looking at her notes. He and Sokka constantly bugged her for spending too much time and effort on them, but things were easier for her to remember if they were highlighted in multiple colors with fancy lettering. She tried to ignore it, much like she ignored Zuko most of the time.
It's not that she didn't like him. It was that she probably liked him too much, especially considering how much she'd disliked him back when they'd met a few years ago, when Sokka had gotten him as his roommate. Their relationship had started off a bit rocky, but it was hard to stay cold at someone when you were forced to spend so much time together.
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"Did I say something wrong?" Zuko said from the driver’s seat, later in the day on their drive up to the campsite.
"No," she managed to croak out, trying her hardest to pretend she hadn't just been crying. She had a knot in her throat since her last class of the day, and had just broken down right before she stepped into Zuko's car.
Katara didn't even want to think about it, but it just kept coming back in waves: A big, red F. She hated the disappointed look on her teacher’s face, and not being able to tell the real reason why her essay was subpar.
My mother's death anniversary is coming up and I was too sad to write about economics, please don't give me a bad grade isn't something that would cope up easily in a conversation at all. She didn't want pity grades.
She thought the essay was okay when she turned it. Not her best work, but it would do. And yet-
"I'm guessing you don't want to talk about it?"
"I just got a bad grade. Not a big deal right? Nothing to cry about."
"It sounds like a big deal to me."
She didn't miss the way his brow furrowed like it did when he was concerned, or the way he not so subtly turned his head to check up on her when she sniffled too loudly.
"Don't worry about it. Just...keep your eyes on the road."
They sat in comfortable silence for a bit. Zuko was kind enough to ignore her little collapse, and when he offered to buy her a cup of hot chocolate from the gas station in an attempt to make her feel better, she let him.
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"Should we buy the ingredients to make s’mores?" Katara asked as they were gathering some supplies for the camping trip.
"I don't know... Do you want to see Aang and Toph running around with a sugar rush?"
"Good point," she said as she took the ingredients anyway, pretending to look away when he helped her reach something from a higher shelf and his shirt rode up his back.
It was a surprisingly domestic sight, Zuko in a grocery store in the middle of nowhere, trying to balance all their supplies in his arms (and failing).
"Come on, just get a cart"
"A shopping cart is a commitment," he said, making her laugh. "Besides, we don't need that much stuff. It'll be quick. In and out."
"Will you ever stop being so stubborn?"
"Nope."
"Fine. Be my guest."
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Out of all the places a college student could be at on a Friday evening, Zuko didn't expect to end up in the middle of nowhere, struggling to set up a tent, while the rest of his friends played in a nearby lake.
"Need any help?" Sokka asked, water dripping on the ground around him.
"I can do it myself, Sokka," he muttered, kneeling down to adjust the tent sticks to the ground.
"Well, I bet I can do it faster than you."
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"Can I ask you something?" Zuko asked, now looking at Sokka.
"Go ahead."
"Is anything wrong with your sister? She's been mopey all day"
"Oh,” Sokka began, “Katara always gets weepy this time of year." Sokka's eyes stared up ahead, where his sister and the rest of their friends were swimming around. "Our mom's anniversary from when she passed is coming up. It's probably that," a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Oh... I'm sorry," Zuko said, looking over to the friend group as well.
"It's okay. That's one of the reasons why I wanted to take this trip actually; we could all use some cheering up.” Sokka stood up, turning to face his friend. “Zuko?”
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for looking out for her. You're a good friend."
After a friendly tap on the back and a smile, Sokka was gone.
He couldn't be more wrong Zuko thought. I don't want to be a good friend. I don't want to be just friends.
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Zuko was starting to make a mental checklist of the most beautiful things he'd ever witnessed: A comet passing through the skies, a lunar eclipse, even baby turtleducks (especially once the ones at the pond near his childhood home stopped hating him).
However, none of those things could be compared to her. Katara, who looked like a water naiad with her long, brown locks and haunting eyes. He still wondered what it must have been like to grow up that beautiful. He felt like a middle schooler, not being able to form a coherent sentence when she was around. It was a miracle he'd gone through a road trip alone with her and had lived to tell the tale without making an absolute fool of himself, even if he did get the feeling she disliked him even more now.
She didn't look as stunning when she splashed water right into his face though, laughing her face off.
Even if he was now wet and cold, it was still worth seeing her happy.
"Hey, where did the kids go?" he said after a few minutes of silent swimming.
"Walked of a while ago. Something along the lines of ‘exploring the forest and becoming one with nature’ I think."
"Should we be worried?"
"Definitely."
“Oh no.”
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Dinner consisted of cold sandwiches and s’mores, with all of them huddled around the campfire and laughing. When the night got colder, Zuko made some very questionable tea to warm them up.
"We only have two tents. Can we sort out who's sleeping with who?" Katara asked later, when they were all droopy and tired of watching Toph chase Aang around.
"Toph and I are sleeping in hammocks outside, no need to worry about us," Aang chimed out, still running away from Toph
"Isn't it too cold?" Katara questioned, her motherly instincts beginning to kick in.
"We brought extra blankets." Toph piped in.
"And Suki and I already called the bigger tent."
"What?! That’s not fair!" Katara called out.
"We got here first!" Sokka replied, a cheeky grin stretching out from cheek to cheek.
"Fine!" Katara sighed, lowering her head slightly in defeat.
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So there they were, stuck together, still beside the campfire while everyone else was already snoring.
"Crazy day, huh?" Katara said, trying her hardest not to stare too much. Zuko in pajamas was too much a sight to behold. A really cute sight. Warm and golden near the fire.
"Yup. Still sad about your grade?"
"Thanks for reminding me," she muttered.
Their knees almost touched. When zuko's hand reached out to hold hers, she just let him.
"Your hands are freezing," he said.
"Well, I am."
"I’m sorry," he replied as a careful arm wrapped around her shoulders.
"It's okay."
"Katara?"
"Yes?"
"You're amazing, you know that? You're the smartest person I know.”
"This is kind of coming out of nowhere, but thanks,” she said, a slight smile curling on her lips as she blushed lightly.
"I’m sorry about that. I was talking with Sokka earlier and he told me about your mom."
"It's okay. You're kind of...helping me take my mind off of things," she said, letting herself lean against his shoulder.
Maybe she really could just think about something else for now. Let her worries wash away and only think of this boy, who probably didn't like her as much as she liked him; how ethereal he looked under a sky full of stars.
"Katara?"
"Yes?"
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry,” he paused, “If I ever treated you wrong, I mean. I actually think you're cool and if I ever-"
There was silence. In the end, it was her who made the first move, and their faces were so close it was really easy to just give in and kiss him.
Honestly, it felt like an accomplishment; so simple and yet unlike anything she'd ever felt. The floor seemed to be swaying under her feet out of pure giddiness, and soon they were sitting in the tent, their hands still interlocked.
"There's just one sleeping bag?" Zuko asked surprisingly timidly.
"We literally just kissed and that's what you're thinking about?" Katara let out a small laugh as she bumped into him gently.
"I mean, I'm okay with it if you are."
"I am."
"Good."
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"When did you start having...feelings for me?" Katara asked later that night. They were curled up together, her face on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"I don't know. Ever since we met?” he began, before looking down at her. “Is this your idea of late night talk?"
"I thought you hated me back then!”
"I thought you were pretty. I just realized what I felt recently to be honest.”
“When?"
"You know that time you stayed the night in my room?"
"Yeah." That was just one time, when Suki and her brother were having a little too much fun in her own room (one of the cons of having your brother's girlfriend as a roommate) and she had been practically forced to knock on his door.
"So why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering," she responded, just hoping her red cheeks weren't noticeable in the dark.
"You know what? I'm really glad Sokka and I ended up being roommates."
"Me too," Katara said, her cheeks still red as she let her lips form a smile.
"I really like you," Zuko whispered. "I like your multi-colored fancy notes and the way you care so much about everyone. I like how strong you are."
"Just that?" she teased, leaning in and kissing him again.
"Not just that, silly. Everything."
"I like everything about you too."
She kissed him again in the dark, running her hand through his hair. She'd been waiting so long to do that. It didn't mean much, and yet somehow, it meant the whole world.