Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Despite it only being her second week on the job, Katara stands in deep consideration, contemplating how her manager would feel about her murdering one of his employees.

She eyes the door to Shen’s office in the back of the store, evaluating whether her grievances are worth the disappointment of the twenty-eight-year-old who looks like he’s already experienced too much for such a short lifetime.

But all sympathy she has for the man is cast away when Sokka opens his mouth. “When do we get off for lunch,” her brother bemoans, as he has several times already in this hour alone.

Katara resists the urge to hit him with one of the tapes she’s placing on a shelf. “You just asked me that less than ten minutes ago.”

“And? I’m still hungry,” he replies, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“You can hold over for another hour.”

“But can I Katara? Can I?”

A group of younger girls save him from becoming a front page headline when they come into the store and distract Katara, giggling as they ask for her assistance in finding albums to buy for the store’s start of summer sale. More teens file in and out, looking through the catalogue of music under the fluorescent lighting of the shop.

The Misty Palms Mall is thriving now that the school year is over. Opened nearly a decade ago by the Beifong family, the mall stands as a glorious testament to consumerism and suburban spirit, as Mrs. Beifong would say after her fourth shopping trip of the week. And most importantly, it’s air conditioned. Most of Katara’s classmates are either wasting their days away wandering around the mall or taking day trips down the shore, trying to make the most of their summers without suffocating from the rising temperatures.

Those in need of money sprinted to the mall’s various stores, trying to grab jobs before none were left. Katara had been lucky enough to spot an ad for The Wall, promising minimum wage and a 30% discount on CDS at the mall’s music store and raced to apply with her brother. With Sokka going away for college in the fall, she must admit that she’s quite glad to spend time with him for hours every day, even if she wouldn’t dare say it aloud and make his ego even larger.

Though his college is only a few hour’s drive, she knows their relationship will be different. For so many years, it felt like it was just the two of them against the world, taking care of each other after their mom passed while their dad and grandmother worked. She always knew he was going to leave, hell, she encouraged him to, and spent countless hours checking over his applications to make sure admissions officers saw his full potential, but she also is aware of that this is the end of life as she knows it.

Bagging up customer orders only takes up so much of Katara’s time, so she gets plenty of time to overthink during the day. Her friend, Aang, usually stops in but not long enough to get rid of her boredom. While Sokka found use the workspace towards the back of the store and spends his downtime fixing old radios and arguing with Katara over whether they should be allowed to play N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton over the store’s speakers, she is mainly left to her own devices.

So in between picking the music and letting her thoughts get too loud, she likes to people watch. Young daughters with their slightly uncomfortable looking dads as they go bra-shopping for the first time. Moms on their powerwalking route, if they’re not racing to their jazzercise class in too-tight leotards and too-bright leg warmers. Flocks of teenagers, walking aimlessly, always one of the girls and one of the boys drifting away from the group so that they can brush hands and send each other shy smiles. It’s almost sickening for Katara to witness. But she can’t help but wish one of those glances was currently being sent her way.

Her junior year had been relatively quiet in terms of relationships. Besides a couple dances at homecoming, she had too much schoolwork for her to really get involved with anyone. But now it’s summer and a part of her is hopeful someone will walk right into her life. Like something straight out of a movie, she can imagine her hands brushing against a cute boy’s as she hands his purchase to him, and suddenly the universe just clicks into place. But things are rarely ever that easy.

Thankfully, she doesn’t have to think about it for much longer because, as if right on cue, Sokka asks “How much more time until lunch?”

Just 10 more weeks.

Roughly 70 days until Zuko can finally leave for good. Even if college doesn’t embrace him with the most open arms, it’ll be far more comforting than the years he spent with his father. And until then, all he has to do is sell some tea.

Generally speaking, he knows that he has one of the easiest jobs at Misty Palms. The Jasmine Dragon is located in a secluded section of the mall, so the only people that stop in are mothers and grandparents who want to choose from their “fine selection of imported tea leaves” to take home while their middle schoolers cause issues in all the other stores. His boss, Pao, rarely comes by, so it’s just him and his walkman most of the time, and he has no reason to complain.

“Hey Sparky, miss me?”

Taking off his headphones, Zuko looks up to see one of the few people that enjoys regularly disrupting his peace.

“Are you here to actually buy anything today Toph?”

“Nope,” the short girl grins, popping her lips to emphasize the p. “You can’t hide out in this corner of the mall forever.”

“Actually, I can," he taps his finger on the countertop, "and I think I will.”

“Look at you, you’ve become just another boring rich kid.”

“I’m not a rich kid anymore,” he reminds her, looking around at his workplace through the dim bulbs illuminating it. The gesture is lost on her, but his point remains. He’s not just here for the quality life experience, he's working the job that no one with a social life wanted because he needs money.

“Yes, and I very proud of you for escaping your family, but don’t become a hermit.”

“And what do you suggest I do, since you’re so wise?”

“Ah, I’m glad you’re finally recognizing my talents.” A chuckle escapes his lips. “I want to buy music. Are you on break?”

Zuko glances down at his watch. It’s nice, with a large face and plated in gold, serving as a remnant of his life before. Before he stood up to his dad. Before he showed up at his uncle’s doorstep with only a couple suitcases and the news that he’d been kicked out. Uncle had taken him in, caring for him like his own for the past few months, but he can’t stand to burden the older man anymore. Which is why he took Pao's offer, hoping to find a way to pay for four years of school himself.

“No, but I can be.” He’s due for his fifteen-minute break, and besides, no one’s going to come in anyway. Putting his walkman in a drawer, Zuko follows Toph out the shop, making sure to put up a sign saying he’ll be back soon before locking up. While he doubts anything would happen to the tea store, he doesn’t want to take any chances.

“You know, I’ve been thinking it over, and I’ve decided that I’m done with this whole high school thing,” Toph announces, letting her hand slip into the crook of his elbow as they make their way through the crowds of people rushing to and from stores.

“You’ve only finished one year.”

“And that was more than enough.” Looking down to the walking stick in her hand, Zuko has a strong feeling about what she’s referring to. While hadn’t enjoyed his years at the stuffy private school located uptown either, Toph’s situation is entirely different than his. No matter how much money her parents threw at the school didn’t mean that it would accept that she’s blind and capable, the former never detracting from the latter.

Guilt begins to creep coil in his stomach, his head clouding with worries about what will happen when he leaves her behind. She doesn’t need protection of any sort- no, she has that handled perfectly- but underneath her tough exterior, he’s aware of the difficulty she can have making friends. Despite her abrasiveness, the other kids tend to walk on eggshells around her, treating her like glass, and its only amplified due to her social standing.

Like calls to like, and while she can irritate the shit out of him when she wants, he’s glad to have had someone he could stand at his father’s business meetings with all the other snobby families in town. His sister had lived for those moments to show off, but quiet and with a fresh new scar on half of his face, he’d never had her charm. But snarky comments in between sips of champagne at banquets turned into weekends of him helping Toph pick out albums that are loud enough to piss off her parents. Though they hadn’t been in the past month, the walk to the The Wall is ingrained into his memory, and they’re standing in the open doorway within a matter of minutes.

“Step by step

Ooh baby, gonna get to you girl.”

Two other voices are joined with the members of New Kids on the Block, enthusiastically singing along with the chorus. The hours his sister’s friend Ty Lee spent playing this song, trying to get him and her other friends to dance along, have permanently burned the song’s melody into his memory. Zuko looks over towards the counter to see a younger boy and a girl his age performing a dance routine along with the song, as if they are in the shelter of their own homes and not in a mall for everyone to see.

He can’t help but be entranced by their dancing, and while neither one of them is particularly spectacular, they carry an energy one can’t help but notice. The boy looks around Toph’s age, far shorter than Zuko. His hair cropped short and his polo shirt that doesn’t fit quite right, exuding the awkwardness that can only come from a 14 to 15-year-old boy.

But his partner is who really caught Zuko’s attention. She’s a bit taller than the boy and wearing a short black and white plaid dress. Her long brown hair sways and her white kids slide across the linoleum floor as she bounces back and forth, she moves her feet and arms with the rhythm, following the same steps as her companion for a routine they’d clearly developed.

“Step by step

Ooh baby, really want you in my world.”

She turns in Zuko’s direction, moving onto the next part of the dance, when her eyes suddenly widen, and her hands fall from their place in the air. The other boy stills beside her, while she smooths down her hair.

His mouth opens to say something, most likely I’m sorry, (though he’s not entirely sure what for) but it doesn’t come out. Instead, he just stares, and an uncomfortable tension settles over the store.

“Aang, quit messing around with my sister, and come help me with something,” someone calls out from the back area of the store. The younger boy walks in the direction of the voice, leaving the girl alone.

“Sorry about that,” she says. “We got a bit carried away. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Zuko clears his throat, quickly bringing his eyes to the shelves of music, rather than staring at the deep red that has risen on her dark cheeks. “No, we’re just browsing.”

She hesitates slightly, giving him and Toph a once-over, before walking behind the register, “Oh… okay. Well, I’m Katara. I’ll be over here if you guys need anything.”

He takes Toph over to the rock section, pulling out records and describing them to her before she takes them over to the listening booth.

“What was all that?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, the singing when we came in. And the weird way you’ve been acting since the salesgirl talked to us?”

Zuko doesn’t look towards the register, instead he just silently prays that Toph’s voice doesn’t carry in that direction. “Oh, she and some boy were dancing, it was probably just some marketing gimmick.” He knows this isn’t true. In reality, he’d walked in at an awkward time and she probably hates him. But who dances in the middle of a store if they don’t expect to be walked in on?

“So why are you being all weird?”

“I’m not being weird.”

“Sure,” she draws the word out, telling him she doesn’t believe him one bit.

“Whatever, just take your stupid music,” he shoves an album into her hand so that she can go off to a listening booth and leave him alone.

“Ooh, someone’s sensitive today.” Toph takes the CD, holding it securely in one hand, before shoving him with the other. Hard. Startled, Zuko falls backwards, and lets out a grunt when something pokes into his spine. His back doesn’t hit the ground, but unfortunately something else does. Wincing as he hears the sound of things crashing, he turns around to see a shelf of what had been brand new CDs is now shattered on the ground.

“No no no,” he hisses trying to pick everything up, and ignore Toph cackling in the background while he assesses the damage. “You fucking idiot,” he hears her say. It’s too late though, because the salesgirl -Katara, he now remembers- is already there.

“What the hell happened here?” She looks absolutely furious, and Zuko could be lying if he said it didn’t make his stomach do a backflip of sorts, but she definitely doesn’t need to know that.

“I can explain- “

“Explain what? That you two rich kids thought it would be fun to ruin the rest of my day because you don’t have any jobs?” Zuko wants to point out that he does have a job, nor is he rich anymore, but it feels unnecessary when he’s wearing clothes worth thousands combined and came in with the owner of the mall’s kid.

So, he shuts his mouth and listens to Katara rant, until a boy around his age, who looks strikingly similar to her comes and the kid from earlier come to help sort it out. Zuko doesn’t manage to weasel an apology out of Toph, but he does get her to pay for the damage, plus extra, and agree to be more careful around the merchandise in the future. By the time they leave Zuko’s break is long over, and he hopes not to get yelled at again today.

“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?”

He gapes at Toph, “No, actually it wasn’t at all.”

“Yeah yeah,” she dismisses him with the wave of a hand. “I bought you more time with a hot girl.”

“You don’t even know what she- whatever, that was a bitch move.”

“Okay, I’m sorry dude. I didn’t really mean to knock something over, I was just hoping you'd trip and fall and that would get her attention so you can finally try and get with someone. I’ll be better in the future, but I’m just making your summer more interesting.”

Zuko sighs, “So you’ve added love guru to your long list of specialties.”

“Oh, shut up. You’ve been real grumpy ever since Azula and her friends ditched you. You need me to do this for your own good.”

Zuko sighs as he walks the familiar distance back to his own job, only now with the knowledge that these are going to be the longest ten weeks of his life.

Chapter Text

“I still can’t believe they had the audacity- “

“Are you still talking about this?” Sokka cuts her off, not even bothering to away from his game.

Katara glares at him, “Yes, I am. It should frustrate you too.” She thinks back to the anger sketched into Shen’s normally impassive face when he came back from his break to see them cleaning up the mess. Hundreds of dollars worth of music damaged because some rich kids can’t be respectful.

She’d seen the way the boy with the scar averted her gaze after she spotted the two of them walk in, and the expensive clothes he wore, along with the watch on his wrist that probably cost more than she’ll make all summer. And it’d be impossible not to recognize Toph Beifong, after every newspaper in town regularly reports on her family’s generous contributions to various charities or their plans for additions to the mall.

Katara had even tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, letting them shop without looking too far into it. That is, until she heard the crash, and the Beifong girl’s laughs, and put two and two together.

“I mean, it does, but I’ve got more important things to do right now,” her brother responds, his fingers moving the joystick at a rapid pace and his face illuminated by the greens and blues on the screen in front of him. “Some dude beat my high score, so I need to get back on top.”

Over the past couple of weeks, Sokka spent the time after each of their shifts obsessively playing one of the arcade’s newer games, Avatar. Swiftly, he rose to the top of the leader board, guiding his player through battles against the elements to make his score go up. A few days ago, he’d jumped when he saw his initials at the top of the leaderboard, crushing Katara in an embrace, though he quickly collected himself as not to “ruin his reputation.”

“The game will still be here tomorrow. You can just score higher then.”

He scoffs, “I wouldn’t expect you to know how urgent this matter is.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He tilts his head in the direction of the stack of coins on top of the machine, “Take some quarters and go do something. You’re distracting me.”

Katara grabs some of his quarters and leaves without a word, not giving him the satisfaction of receiving a snarky response. Looking around the dark space, lit only by the bright screens and neon lights wrapped around the ceiling, she searches for something to take up her time until Sokka finishes playing.

Through groups of middle schoolers, she spots Jiang, one of the arcade’s employees, fixing a game while a boy waits beside her. Jiang’s dark hair is gone completely, and her new buzzcut shows her sharp chin and all the piercings on her ears, and Katara can feel her hands grow clammy and her heart beat faster.

Four years of college had clearly done her well and Katara is still as hopelessly caught in her orbit as she had been when the girl first got a job at the arcade. Her feet gravitate in Jiang’s direction, pulling her towards the older girl, and she stops short of embarrassing herself by pausing a few feet away.

Trying not to think about the way the muscles in Jiang’s arm show in her tank top as she fixes something inside the arcade machine, Katara looks in the other direction and finds herself face to face with an animatronic robot.

Madame Wu’s Fortune Telling Booth stands before her, the robot woman inside wearing a face full of makeup and her hair done in an updo. A smile forms on her lips as she remembers dragging her brother to psychics on the boardwalk every year, eagerly searching for any knowledge of her future. Katara inserts a quarter into the slot on the front of the machine and watches the animatronic come to life. “Greetings from Madame Wu,” it says in an old woman’s voice, before a small piece of paper comes out of the machine.

“A thrilling love is just around the corner,” Katara whispers, reading off the card in her hand, while a sense of excitement rushes through her body.

She can feel her cheeks grow warm and is thankful that this corner of the arcade is darker than the rest. Fleeting, juvenile crushes are one thing, she’d had plenty of those, but the prospect of falling in love is entirely different.

While looking at Jiang may make her head feel slightly dizzy, she knows when to be realistic, and has yet to come across anyone that is both realistic and leaves her aching for more. A shy kiss her sophomore year with one of her classmates isn’t exactly what she would describe as thrilling. This opens up a whole new set of possibilities. But this fortune almost feels like a confirmation of what she’d been feeling herself, something is going to happen for her this summer.

Sokka would say that she’s read one too many romance novels, and maybe he’s right. Or maybe he was born under the wrong star and was cursed to be a pessimist. Her brother’s cynicism aside, Katara is light on her feet as she wastes more of his quarters on a different machine.

By the time she reaches her last few coins, she’s at a machine back by Sokka, watching the Tetris blocks fall on top of each other, and sees that his face is still glued to the Avatar machine, as it had been half an hour ago.

Yet, now there’s a girl waiting beside him, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed at Sokka as the colors on the screen flicker across her pale face and auburn hair. He doesn’t spare a glance at her, all of his focus still on the game, and Katara can hear the curses he mumbles under his breath as he loses another life.

“Are you done, yet? You’ve had multiple chances, it’s my turn to play now,” the girl says, and Katara can tell that she’s not asking for the first time.

“C’mon, I just need one more try.”

“That’s what you said last time, and clearly it didn’t work out.” Katara hides a chuckle behind her hand, this girl clearly takes after her own heart.

Sokka finally dies, and steps away from the machine. When he sees the girl beside him, his blinks a few times, doing a double take as he finally comprehends that he’d brushed off an attractive girl.

He leans against the machine as the girl takes his place, and Katara rolls her eyes. “Sorry for taking so long, I was trying to beat my high score.” He nods his head at the game, attempting to come off as smooth, “I can give you some pointers, if you’d like.”

She glances at the leaderboard, “Considering I have the top score right now, I think I’m good.”

Sokka laughs, “That’s a good one.”

“What’s funny about it?”

“You can’t have beat me. You’re just a girl. Girls aren’t good at stuff like this.”

“At stuff like what?”

“You know… video games.” He catches her frown, and tries to double back, “I don’t mean to offend, it’s just different for you guys.”

Inserting her quarters, she presses play. “Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

As the girl gets further into the game, Katara watches as Sokka’s face falls and isn’t sure if she wants to console him or simply laugh. She does neither because it seems that the girl has this figured out herself. His jaw is hanging by the time she finishes off her third life.

“There’s no way,” he sputters out. “You just beat the high score.”

Katara decides to step in, seeing that the leaderboard shows “SUK” on top once again, but with even more points this time. “Congrats,” she tells the girl, who’s eyebrows raise behind her teased auburn bangs.

“You’re telling her congrats? What about me?” Sokka bellows, before muttering “traitorous girls” under his breath, though they can both still hear him.

She elects to ignore him, “Sorry on behalf of my brother, he can be a douche sometimes.”

“Oh thanks.” The girl leans back on the machine, while facing her. “I’m Suki.”

“Katara.”

“And I’m Sokka,” he announces from their side, squaring his shoulder to address Suki, “I want a rematch.”

“I wasn’t aware we were competing.”

“Well, we are. And I’m gonna get the high score next time.”

“Okay, challenge accepted.” She holds out a hand to him, and he hesitantly shakes it. When he pulls back, she gives a wicked smile and says slowly, mimicking his voice from before, “I can give you some pointers, if you’d like.”

Katara pats her brother on the back as he starts coughing hysterically, and ushers him out the arcade.

“See you around,” Suki yells after them, and Katara waves back despite Sokka’s protests from her side.

“You seriously believe that some arcade game knows your future?”

Sick of watching him mope and drag his feet on the ground after Suki had shown him up, Katara pulled out the slip of paper in the pocket of her denim jacket. Just as she had expected, he wasn’t nearly as enthused by it as her.

“Oh, be quiet. You’re just mad that a girl kicked your ass.”

Sokka crosses his arms and sticks his chin in the air, “She didn’t kick my ass, she got lucky. And I’ll prove it by beating her score next time. But you still didn’t answer my question, which only leads me to believe that you do, in fact, think that a scam robot can predict your future.”

“So what if I do?”

“Look, I know you and Aang like looking up your horoscopes in the paper sometimes, but none of that stuff is real. It’s not backed by any science.”

“Just because you can’t believe it, doesn’t make it not true. You didn’t believe girls can play video games well and look what happened with that.”

He throws his hands up in the air, “Alright, believe what you want to. Come end of summer we’ll see whether or not your future is really worth a quarter. But don’t get mad if you don’t end up riding on a lawnmower off into the sunset with the one.”

“You’re just jealous that you and Suki aren’t doing that right now.”

Walking past the food court and towards the exit, he flushes and struggles to come up with a response. “Oh- her, I would never. Certainly, not with someone so rude.”

“Please, I saw the way you looked at her. Maybe it’ll be good to have someone that’ll put you in your place. That is, if she even would want to date someone so gross.”

“I’ve seen you before you get ready in the morning Katara. If one of us is gross, it isn’t me,” he teases, lying straight through his teeth. She gives him a light shove before following him the rest of the way to their car.

As Zuko prepares to close for the day, he pauses while counting out the cash in the register when he hears the bell on the door sound. His brow furrows, no one ever comes in this close to the mall’s closing, he usually only gets customers during the early hours of the afternoon. When he looks up, his hand stills on the glass counter and he makes eye contact with someone he hadn’t seen since he graduated.

Azula’s smile is cruel, and her nails are the same scarlet as the blazer she wears with her skirt. While popular, his sister was never one to appear relaxed. She put effort into her appearance and wanted everyone to know that it wasn’t by happenstance that she looked perfect every day, and clearly this has not changed even when there aren’t students around for her to show off to. It does not surprise him that his absence in their house seemed to have no outward effect on her.

He speaks first, “Where’s your posse?”

Mai and Ty Lee had always been by Azula’s side since she’d acquired the girls as her companions on elementary school playground. They trailed her like a black and pink shadow. Over the years, they’d become his friends by extension. But even during his tumultuous relationship with Mai, one that had ended and begun again numerous times, Azula made it very clear where her allegiance laid.  

“Can’t I pay my dear brother a visit alone?”

“No.”

She didn’t seek him out in the school hallways after he left home. The only remaining connection they’d had was when Ty Lee congratulated him at his graduation ceremony, where she’d performed with the poms. Iroh was the only relative clapping for him in the audience when he walked across the stage.

Azula ignores his dig at her, “Father’s been wondering about you.”

“Has he?” He wants to come off as impassive, but he knows she can hear the shred of boyish hope in his voice. Before he can let her get under his skin, he hardens his expression. Ozai may be worried about the investment he lost now that Zuko can’t follow in his footsteps, but it had been a long time since he’d considered the feelings of Zuko himself.

It took Zuko far too long to realize what has been true since his father burned the message into his skin.

“I’m sure he’ll be pleased to know that you’ve made absolutely nothing of yourself since leaving.” He almost lets the corner of his mouth rise at the irony of her words, he’s only been gone a few months and has already made more money for himself than he ever did in that house. Azula’s never even picked up a broom, much less had a job. She continues, “Well, perhaps I should thank you for being such a disappointment, it makes being the favorite child so much easier.”

The words sting, he won’t deny it, but they do not wound him as they would have before. Competing to be their father’s favorite had brought him nothing good, and though his sister doesn’t see it now, he hopes she will soon.

He swallows, “Azula, you know you’re always welcome at Uncle’s house, right? You can come over if you ever need to.”

Her eyes grow large, and she blinks while taking in his words, before her face shifts into a sneer. “And why would I want to come over there?” She pushes the door open, turning back toward him to say, “Have fun taking the bus, Zuzu,” before making her exit, the bell swinging as the door shuts behind her.

Sometimes Zuko likes to think of his life as existing in two parts: before and after. His watch and sneakers are from the before era. His friendship with Toph is from the before, though it extended past it. His friendship with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee is certainly from the before, and he's not sure if they would even want to see him now. As for taking the bus, that’s a part of the after.

There are few things he misses from the before, but his car is undoubtedly one of them. It was utterly gorgeous, a classic car with a gleaming coat of red paint on top. But he wasn’t going to walk out indebted to his father, so that meant leaving the car behind.

The bus isn’t terrible, but there’s no leather seats and a smooth ride straight to his destination. Instead, he gets to experience the thrills of waiting after a long shift for the chance to cover a few miles in far more time than he prefers. At points, he’ll even consider calling it nice, when it isn’t too crowded, and he gets to sit down and watch the streets roll by. He spots people from Uncle's neighborhod, who only know him as Iroh's troubled nephew, but they're always gracious to them both. Overall, though, it’s just another part of his day spent alone with only his music to keep company, which is probably how it’ll remain until he leaves for the fall.

Crossing the white lines of the parking lot, he heads towards the single bench on the sidewalk, illuminated by the streetlight next to it, and signifying where the bus driver should stop. As he walks to it, he hears footsteps and talking nearby and turns his head to see two people approaching from a different direction.

It seems that they notice him around the exact same time because the talking stops and he can feel a glare that puts his whole body on alert. He knows exactly who it is by the time they’re close enough for him to make out their faces. When Katara passes by him, she’s giving him one of the dirtiest looks he’s ever received. However, it’s quick, and before he gives into the urge to get on his knees to beg for her forgiveness, she’s facing forward again and walking past him.

It was a look that could make some of the world’s most powerful leaders feel guilty, and Zuko was misfortunate enough to be on the other end of it. His stomach twists in knots as he joins an old woman on the bench, waiting for his way home.

He’s leaving soon anyway, so there’s logically no need for him to be so worked up over this girl. He can just cut his loss and move on, blaming Toph for the whole situation. Yet, for some reason, one that he can’t figure out just yet, he cares what she thinks of him. He especially cares that she stops thinking so poorly of him. So as large, yellow headlights approach, he decides what he needs to do.

Chapter Text

“They’re in the air.”

Zuko’s walking to The Wall again, this time without the company of Toph to ensure that another slip up doesn’t occur. The person speaking sounds insistent and vaguely familiar, his voice tugging on a part of Zuko’s brain as he tries to figure out where he’s heard it.

Confusion is slightly etched in the responding voice, one that Zuko immediately recognizes as Katara’s, “Chemicals… from jet streams…”

“Exactly, the government’s releasing them all around the country, poisoning us, while people just stand there and watch, living in their ignorant little bubbles.”

“Oh, give me a break,” someone else cuts in just before Zuko walks through the open doors and into store.

His vans squeak on the tile, and he cringes, hoping not to call any attention to himself. But one glance at the counter to the right of him tells him that Katara isn’t paying him any attention. Instead, her eyes are transfixed on the person before her, and naturally, it’s someone Zuko knows well.

He absentmindedly grabs a CD off the first shelf he sees, barely even glancing at it before making his way over to the checkout counter.

“I could tell you more about it sometime, if you’d like.”

Jet hasn’t changed much since they saw each other last.

His brown shag had grown a bit longer, but he still looked exactly like the boy Zuko had become so well acquainted with last year, when they would still wait for any opportunity they came across to makeout in one of the secluded areas behind the mall. But gone are the rose-colored glasses Zuko used to see him through, back when he was fresh out of a messy breakup with Mai, and Jet looked like a perfectly bad idea.

They’d met at a local show that he’d gone to in an effort to distract himself. Zuko can’t quite remember what bands were playing that night, but he can’t forget the dark brown eyes on him, sending pointed glances across the room, and the smirk that left him completely defenseless to the feelings that developed next.

He’d been certain of two things at the time: that he had liked being with Mai (during their on periods at least), and that he also liked being with Jet, a lot. So, he simply let those two parts of him co-exist, wearing his bisexuality on his sleeve as they snuck into nightclubs hand in hand and Jet’s lips moved down his neck while the music pulsed around them.

And it was fun. Until it wasn’t.

Jet wasn’t looking for commitment, much less that with a CEO’s son. He had places to be, movements to be a part of. Before Zuko had fully considered being free of this town, Jet already had one foot out of the door, searching for a way into the city. And extending their fling wasn’t on his five year plan.

Zuko steps up beside Jet, clearing his throat so that he doesn’t have to hear any more of their discussion. Katara’s face falls when she sees who’s come to interrupt their conversation. Jet turns toward Zuko too, his umber face dusted with red from time spent under the sun.

“Oh, hey,” Jet says, an air of nonchalance always present in his voice.

“I thought you’d be roughing it in Manhattan by now.” Zuko’s moved on over the past year, but he still deserves to be a bit bitter.

“Yeah, I considered going to New York, but I decided to stay here with my band. The scene’s really thriving right now.” He looks back at Katara, with a smirk that makes Zuko’s fist curl, “Would you be interested in coming to one of our shows,” he grabs one of the zines stacked on the counter, flipping it open to a poster for one of his own shows.

Zuko puts his CD down on the counter before she can reply.

“How can I help you?” Her cheery demeanor is not extended to him.

“Uh yeah,” he begins, fumbling over his words, “I’d like to purchase this.” He pushes Jet over slightly to stand directly in front of her.

“The Cure,” Jet states, eyeing the album with a hint of judgement in his voice.

Zuko hadn’t even noticed what album he picked up, he just saw a red cover and decided on it, “Yup.” It might not be his usual taste, but he can live with it. He might even like it a bit more knowing that it pisses off Jet.

Katara scans the album’s barcode and slaps a coupon on top of it before putting it in a plastic bag. She doesn’t put one of Jet’s zines in it, and he’s not sure what to think of that. It doesn’t matter anyway, because her fingers brush against his as she hands him the bag, and a fuzzy sensation shoots through his hand. Zuko brushes the feeling aside, he’s here to apologize, nothing else.

“I- “his mouth feels dry, but he insists on finishing, “wanted to say that I’m sorry.” There, he did it. The weight of his guilt has been lifted off his shoulders, and he can finally be free of thoughts about Katara. Another bridge burned before he finally leaves.

Her face softens, mouth opening slightly in surprise, “Oh, okay.”

“It was an accident, but still a dick move, and wrong of me and Toph to do. I’m sorry about the damage we caused, it was probably the last thing you and your coworkers needed that day. I completely understand why you were upset.”

“Thank you,” she responds, taken aback like she hadn’t expected him to apologize. And honestly, had the incident happened just a year ago, he’s not sure if he would have. She continues, “The Beifongs paid for the broken CDs, so hopefully they’ll be restocked soon.”

“Ah that’s good,” he’s not sure why he’s still talking. He said his piece, he made things right, so why is he still reluctant to leave?

He lingers for a moment longer, searching for something to say before it becomes awkward.

“I’m Zuko, by the way,” it occurs to him that in their brief time together, he never once told her his name. She flashes him a radiant smile, and he’s even more glad that he followed his instinct to come there.

But the bad interior lighting that shines down on her reminds him of where he is in the first place. The mall. Where he works. And if he keeps going over his break time, where he won’t be working soon.

“I’ve got to go, but thanks again.”

“Bye Zuko.”

Jet presses one of his zines into his hand on his way out, but Zuko doesn’t mind. His head feels like it’s in the clouds, and he’s not interested in examining the source of his newfound lightness. Not yet, at least.

Earlier that day, Katara had decided that she’d had enough of the rich kids.

She hadn’t needed to see Aang, always the friendliest of their little group, talking up a storm with Toph Beifong when she entered the mall. And she certainly didn’t need Toph’s friend to show up and interrupt her conversation with Jet.

The older boy, one she recognized from the halls of her high school, came into her job bearing anti-capitalist zines and paranoid conspiracy theories, but she couldn’t deny the fluttering in her stomach at the way her name sounded on his lips.

It might have been due to the fortune telling machine’s words that have been playing in the back of her head, but she hadn’t been nearly as opposed to Jet’s entrance as her brother was.

“Hey,” the boy said, nearly a head taller than her, with striking eyes and a lopsided grin. It didn’t seem hard to believe that he could bring her a thrilling love, or at the very least a nice summer romance.

“Hey.”

Sokka made a gagging noise behind her before walking back to his workspace. She didn’t bother to shoot him a dirty look, too entranced by the boy on the other side of the counter.

Her heart swooned a bit when he mentioned Bikini Kill as the inspiration for his zine, and his admiration for the feminist punkers whose posters were hung on Katara’s bedroom wall. And he just sounded so knowledgeable, even as he started discussing his latest theories on the government and chemtrails. Something inside her tells her that Jet feels like someone she could talk to for hours. And she might have if they hadn’t been interrupted.

After he’d approached them at the counter, she glanced at Toph’s friend before scanning his CD, while he was seemingly unaware of his rudeness, absentmindedly studying the posters on the wall. The rich kid was the same height as Jet and probably the same age as him and her brother too. Though, his clothing was a bit more casual than the previous time she had met him, a flannel over a t-shirt, not the more expensive clothes he’d worn before.

Her grudge against him had lessened in the last day or so, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see him often either. She had handed him his purchase, silently hoping he’d finally leave. But then he apologized, and her body stilled.

There was no sign of insincerity in his face, and while it wasn’t the most eloquent apology she’d heard, it was still genuine. The outcome of the situation had bothered him as much as it made her upset.

There was a sense of comfort in knowing that she hadn’t overreacted. Aang always liked to talk about forgiveness and moving on (unless it was regarding his own feelings, but she digresses), but sometimes it felt nice to be angry and have it justified. And the person in front of her seemed to agree.

So, the album became a bit of a truce between them, and she watched as Zuko walked out, the bag swinging in his hand.

Once he was out of sight, her attention returned to Jet. “So you know him,” she tilted her head in the other boy’s direction, sensing that there was some sort of history between the two.

“An old friend,” he shrugged before leaning closer, accompanied by the smell of cigarettes and a disarming grin.

She nodded along as he started talking about a new song his band, the Freedom Fighters, wrote. The conversation was interesting, however, she’d be lying if she said that her mind didn’t start drifting towards a certain boy with dark hair and a scar.

It’s the coupon that brings him back.

At least, that’s what Zuko tells himself as he enters the music store for the second time that week. It certainly has nothing to do with Katara, or her inviting smile.

Next, it’s his broken headphones, he reasons as he returns once more.

“Oh, no need to get new ones. Sokka can fix them for you,” she assures him while a slight blush creeps up his neck.

He finds her brother in his workspace in the back corner of the store, and Sokka gladly accepts them as an offering of apology. He’s fixed them by the time Zuko comes back during his lunch break two days later.

He comes in the next day claiming that he needs a new copy of his Nevermind tape. His Walkman ate the other one. The excuse goes unused, though, when it turns out Katara and Sokka aren’t even working that day.

Zuko doesn’t even bother to go in when he sees a different dark-haired girl working at the register, and he returns to his job with a sinking feeling in his gut as he realizes he’s doing one of the few things he’d said he wouldn’t do before leaving. He doesn’t need any new friends before college. With the exception of Toph and his uncle, he wants to leave behind any remnants of this town.

Yet he still walks the familiar trek back during his next shift (he really does need a new tape) and finds himself listening as Sokka goes on about some girl who’s been giving him a hard time lately.

“I made one mistake.”

“I’d say it was more than one,” Katara calls out from behind a shelf.

“Don’t listen to her. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

Zuko raises an eyebrow.

“Okay, maybe she has a point,” Sokka quietly admits, looking down at the counter. “Dude what should I do,” he asks Zuko while running a hand through his hair. This wasn’t a question he’d expected from someone he barely knew, nor the kind his sister or her friends would ask of him.

“Maybe don’t insult her next time,” he deadpans, cringing when he realizes that he might have offended Sokka mere days after earning his forgiveness. But Katara snorts beside him, and a small sense of pride replaces his regret.

“One was bad enough but now I’ve got two people ganging up one me,” Sokka says in mock frustration. “Where’s Aang when you need him?”

“Don’t worry, there won’t be two of us for much longer. I have to go,” Zuko says as he takes his leave.

“See you soon,” Katara waves while he glances back for a few more paces than necessary.

He isn’t scheduled for the next few days, yet still, the irrational part of him hopes that her words are true.

Chapter Text

A crush. The first time that Katara began to understand why attraction to another person was known by that name was when she was eleven and witnessed a twelve year old Sokka experience the ups and down of his first relationship (if it could even be called that). Poor Sokka had no idea what he was in for when a girl with shockingly white hair and warm brown skin walked by him in the hallway. 

She’d been there when he returned home triumphantly from an afternoon at an ice cream shop, grinning as he recounted his first date. 

“Yue held my hand Katara and I swear, it was the most amazing thing ever.”

She’d teased him when he’d stay up late to catch their dad after work and tell him about the gift that he was buying for Yue’s birthday (a bracelet; he’d saved up his money from mowing lawns just for it). And he’d just stick his nose up in the air and reply, “You’ll understand when you’re in love.”

And now they both realize that it wasn’t love, just a sweet affection held between two kids. But it didn’t feel that way when he came home upset that Yue was moving up north. Katara helped him save up for long distance calls and for the postal service, but it wasn’t the same.

 Maybe it hadn’t been real love, but it certainly seemed like a real heartbreak at the time. She thought he might break under the pressure.

When the calls started to be less frequent and the letters stopped arriving in the mail, she’d been right there. Just as she would be for the next couple of girls that Sokka fell for and everyone after.

Now, Katara feels eleven again, listening to her big brother talk about the pretty girl he likes, and trying to act annoyed but knowing fully well that she wants this to work out as much as he does.

“Did you see the way she beat that level Katara?” Sokka swoons, his eyes practically in the shape of hearts, as they walk towards the food court. “And she changed her hair too. Didn’t it look great? Do you think she did it just for me?”

Katara had agreed to go to the arcade with him on their day off to see a girl knock her brother down a few pegs. Instead, she’s had to listen to him go on about his crush since they left. 

Seemingly inspired by Zuko’s recent behavior, Sokka had realized that he much preferred seeing Suki smile to seeing her mad at him. So he walked into Bao’s Arcade without his smug grin from the last time they met, and challenged Suki. This time as her equal. 

“Ready to get beat by a girl once again,” the redhead teased when he approached the machine.

Apparently he was, in fact, ready, because Sokka took his inevitable loss with a lot more grace than his sister would have expected from him. Something must be in the water, Katara concludes, thinking about the strange way boys had been acting lately. But it was a change that she was welcome to. Based on the shift in Suki’s facial expression, she’s sure the other girl agrees.

It wasn’t that the crush on Suki caught Katara off guard. No, she knew from the start how this would end. She’d just expected at least another two weeks before Sokka would actually do something about it.

Yet, clearly her older brother knew a thing or two. “Can you teach me how you did that?” He asked, inviting Suki to place her hand over his on the joystick. 

Katara suddenly felt very out of place, and tried to ignore the impending awkwardness of the situation by desperately looking around the arcade for an out. 

It would have been nice if Aang had come with them, but he had plans with someone else. Katara’s almost certain that “someone else” is the Beifong girl, but chose to stay quiet. In all fairness, with Aang, he could easily be meeting up with the new cashier at Burger King. People gravitated toward him like that, his infectious energy always inviting new people to spend time with them.

Glancing back at her brother and spotting the matching blushes he and Suki wore, she decided it’d be best to leave them alone. She wandered back over to the familiar fortune-telling booth, silently hoping that it could give her more insight into her upcoming romance, and blinked when she found an “out of order” sign taped onto the glass. It appeared that the universe wasn’t willing to answer her questions on Jet and whether he’d bring her what Madame Wu promised. 

Feeling slightly unsure of herself, Katara walks away from the machine, choosing to waste her time by trying to save Princess Peach from Bowser before conceding defeat and going back to her brother. 

Finally, Sokka parted from Suki with her number written on his wrist and a moonstruck grin.

“Okay, I’ve decided that I’ll call her as soon as we get home.”

“Glad to hear that,” Katara says, relieved that Sokka’s debate over whether it’s too desperate to call Suki before tomorrow has come to an end.

“Quit being annoying. Don’t make me reconsider allowing you to go out with Jet tonight.”

Katara scoffs, “ Allowing me to go out?” 

“I’m your big brother. It’s my job to be wary of your boyfriends.”

“He’s not even-”

“Look, I don’t need to know every detail,” he makes a face of disgust, as if he hadn’t just been telling Katara an in depth account of his own love life. “But since Dad has been working late again lately, it’s my job to protect you.”

“I’m not a kid anymore, I can take care of myself.” She’ll have to when he leaves.

Sokka’s voice grows serious when he replies, “I know. But if any boy- any one - gives you any shit, just let me know. I’ll always have your back.”

She looks up at her brother, “Thanks Sokka.”

His eyes drop to the floor, “Don’t mention it.” 

For the first time since Sokka committed to a school, Katara considers whether she isn’t the only one that’s afraid of how college may alter their relationship.

But their conversation halts to an abrupt stop when they reach the food court.

Because right in front of Burger King, a girl less than five feet tall is standing unscathed before a much larger teenage boy, while he’s doubled over, clutching his nose, hands covered in blood. Behind the girl stands a scrawny boy that the Kuruk siblings know all too well.

The siblings glance at each other, sharing matching expressions of shock before running over to help Aang with the situation. However, as they discover when they push through the small crowd formed around the scene, it appears that Toph Beifong has it entirely under her control.

“Listen up dickface, don’t talk to us like that again.”

The boy’s eyes narrow at her, “Don’t you know who my dad is?”

Toph lets out a harsh laugh, almost astonished at his audacity. “Don’t you know who mine is? I assume you would since his graciousness is allowing us to have this conversation here today. Does the name Beifong ring any bells?”

Realization strikes his eyes and he gulps in response.

Katara reaches Aang’s side, whispering, “What happened?”

Aang’s face hardens, “I accidentally ran into him, and when I apologized, he decided to be a jerk about it and give me and Toph a hard time. I’m not going to repeat what he said, but I guess he pushed her too far.”

Katara sighs, knowing that’s the most she’ll be able to get out of her non-confrontational friend. 

“C’mon Chan, let’s go,” one of dickface’s friends tells him, having enough sense to walk away from the fight. 

Toph turns to Katara and Sokka, “Glad you guys could make it to the show.”

Sokka takes in her split knuckles. “You should probably get your hand patched up.”

Katara adds, “We should be able to find some first-aid supplies somewhere around here.”

“Don’t worry, this ain’t my first rodeo. I know where to go.” 

Putting her white cane in her bloody hand, she leads them away from the food court and the whispers from the onlookers of the small fight.”

Katara breaks the silence, “I’m glad that no one called mall security.”

Toph waves her off, “They can’t kick me out of a mall that my parents own, Sugar Queen.” Katara blinks at the nickname, unsure where it came from, but decides not to question it.

Aang rubs the back of his neck. “You don’t think he’ll try to sue you, right?”

She snorts, “Course not. That would require him to admit he got beat up by a blind girl. And a guy like that can’t handle such a blow to his masculinity.” 

Her voice becoming faint, she adds, “It’s not like my parents would believe him anyway.”

Katara thinks back to the times she’s read about Toph in the local newspaper. She’d always been described as Lao Beifong’s quiet and delicate daughter, who had to overcome her “difficult circumstances.” The articles accompanying pictures always showed the small girl in flowy white gowns, and as Katara looks at her wearing a ratty t-shirt that comes down to her knees with blood on her fist, she thinks that the world may have misjudged Toph Beifong. Including her.

“This way,” the blind girl directs them with certainty, turning down one of the less crowded parts of the mall until they stand before a store that Katara and Sokka hadn’t stumbled across before in all their times at Misty Palms.

When they walk into the small tea shop, Katara is unsurprised to be met by a familiar face. Behind the counter, Zuko’s eyes immediately fall to Toph, “What’d you do this time?”

“It wasn’t my fault Sparky, I swear.” 

Aang joins her, “It really wasn’t, some guy was bothering us because of me. She was just sticking up for us.”

Zuko accepts their response and reaches under the counter for something. “You’re lucky Pao keeps a first-aid kit back here.”

Toph points at him, “Don’t pretend that isn't because he saw you cut your finger opening a shipment.”

His cheeks turn scarlet. “Whatever.” 

While Toph hops onto the counter, Zuko looks up at Katara and Sokka, who have yet to speak. “How’d you two get involved in this?”

“We just happen to have great timing,” Sokka admits. 

Zuko turns his attention back to Toph, cleaning the blood off her hand, “You can’t always be so reckless. Someday you might walk away with more than bruised knuckles.”

“Like you’re one to talk.” She responds, another reference between them that the others don’t know the history behind. 

And despite her old hard feelings towards them, Katara finds herself desperately wanting to know more about the pair. Especially Zuko , a quiet voice whispers in her head, but she pushes it aside. 

“Besides, you know I don’t care what could happen. I don’t like when people pick on my friends.” Toph reminds him. 

Katara nods, realizing too late that the gesture is lost on Toph, “That’s something we can agree on.”

“See.. even Miss Perfect gets it.”

“I never said I didn’t understand,” he retorts. “I just said don’t be so reckless. You won’t always have me there with you.” 

It dawns on Katara that he’s probably going to college this fall too, considering he and Sokka seem to be around the same age.

 “Alright, you’re all good,” Zuko pats the bandage wrapped around her right knuckles. “Any highlights?”

“He tried to play the daddy’s money card. Little does he know that I invented it,” Toph laughs to Zuko.

He snorts, “Hope he has a good team of lawyers. I can’t imagine it turning out any other way than him owing you money. Did you recognize the voice, anyone I’d know?”

“Nah, he sounded like new money. He didn’t even realize who I was at first.” Sokka and Katara share a look, this was not a topic they were familiar with.

 Old or new, any money was more than they had. Sokka had worked his ass off to go to college on a scholarship, so they were grateful for any opportunities they had to earn more. Though, if Zuko is rich, why is he working some shitty job at the mall?

“Not that I’m excusing what he did,” Aang starts, brows furrowed as he sorts through his thoughts, “but there is probably an explanation for what he did. People aren’t cruel for no reason, maybe he has a bad homelife.”

“Welcome to the club,” Zuko responds bitterly. Another statement that Katara lacks the background knowledge to, but she doesn’t pry. “Either way, he’s a douche and got what he deserved.”

Toph hits his shoulder in an unnecessary grab for his attention, “Can I go home with you, Sparky?” 

Sokka snorts at the nickname, lazily trying to cover it up with a cough. 

Toph points at him, “Be quiet, you’ll get a nickname too soon enough.”

“Sure, I get off soon anyway,” Zuko responds to her initial question after looking at the analog clock on the wall near Katara, his eyes skimming over her for the briefest of seconds.

The next employee comes to relieve Zuko of his shift. He’s an older man, with a no nonsense look on his face, so they pretend to peruse the shelves of tea until Zuko can go. Aang even buys a box of ginseng, stating that it’s for his adoptive father, Mr. Gyatso. The man just nods his head slowly, as the rest of them state that they’re “just looking.”

Eventually, the five of them file out of the shop together and walk towards the mall’s exit.

It appears that things rarely work out as he expects them to, Zuko decides as he walks out the mall with his new friends. Between the time he’s spent at The Wall and them now visiting him at The Jasmine Dragon with Toph, he feels that they’ve passed the boundary of acquaintances. At least, he hopes. It’d be awkward if they didn’t see him the same way.

Of course, the one summer he wants to cut off ties, three more people unexpectedly enter his life. There’s no use complaining though , he thinks when he hears Katara laugh drift towards him after Sokka makes a snarky comment about the food court’s latest restaurant.

However, the nice moment runs short when he sees two figures approaching. He turns to the group, “Go ahead, I’ll be with you guys in a second.”

He’s not sure if he imagines the corner of Katara’s lips go down because her expression is back to normal before he can confirm it. She and the others continue walking to the parking lot, though at a slightly slower pace than before. 

Zuko sighs before reverting his attention back to his sister and her companion. “Hi Azula.”

“Hello Zuko. I’m glad you’ve decided to be friendly today. Though it’s a bit rude to ignore Mai like that.” Azula gestures to his ex-girlfriend, who’s wearing a black velvet dress despite the heat. 

Zuko had to admire her commitment to fashion, even if it extended to nothing else. His sister looks to Toph and the others. “Mai, aren’t you glad to see that my brother’s been keeping good company since he left us?” 

Mai barely glances up at the group, “Utterly delighted,” she says, her voice completely monotone. 

When they were first together, he’d been drawn to her careless attitude. Yet, his affection for it grew strained when he found it harder to draw her attention to him. 

Perhaps they should’ve split up sooner, the first time they realized they weren’t for each other. But like many dumb teenagers before them, they decided to give it another try. And another one, until there was nothing left except for shared memories and a mutual bitterness.

At least enough time has passed that the bitterness has subsided. It’s almost a shame, he no longer feels any strong feelings towards her, neither good nor bad, and he’s almost sure it’s the same on her end.

Zuko turns to Azula, “Don’t you have anywhere better to be? Maybe you can find some children to terrorize.”

“Believe me, I can’t stand being around this dump so often, but Ty Lee has pilates.”

“But why are you bothering me? There’s no reason to come around this area.” There isn’t a store in this section that Azula would bother to go in, meaning she’s there to see him. “I don’t want you to mess with my friends.” 

Maybe he's weak, wearing his heart on his sleeve. But he’s just so tired of her schemes. And he’s certainly not going to spend his last few weeks in town worried about what his younger sister might report back to their father.

She just gives him a tight lipped smile that does nothing to soothe his nerves. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Zuzu. They’re not nearly worth my time.”

He can’t help but disagree. But he decides not to add fuel to the fire. “Goodbye Azula. Goodbye Mai,” he adds on, leaving with the final word.

He catches the group at the large doors for the parking lot. Toph acknowledges his absence first, “Was it your sister?”

He puts his hands in his pockets, “Yeah.”

Toph shakes her head. “Was she being a bitch again?” 

Aang looks slightly startled. If Katara and Sokka are shocked at Toph’s views on his sister, they do a much better job of keeping it to themselves.

“Yeah,” he sighs, wanting nothing more than to light a cigarette. But Uncle didn’t like it when he came home smelling like smoke. Life was easier when he had something to distract him.

Toph’s voice disrupts his thoughts, “Don’t worry, Sparky. We've got your back.” 

Zuko glances over the four other people walking through the asphalt lot, and is startled to discover that he just might believe her.

Chapter Text

After weeks of work, the Fourth of July finally rolls around, greeting Misty Palms’ employees with days of flash sales and headaches from the hoards of people rushing in to buy useless items “in the name of freedom.” The heat filled days leading up to the holiday cause even more commotion than usual, with everyone in the state cramming into stores to avoid the high temperatures and to find new swimsuits for when they would eventually venture back out into nature.

Even Zuko and his little tea store hadn’t been spared from the chaos, with older adults barging in for nothing more than to bring home another shopping bag.

“I hate this goddamn holiday,” he mutters, finally getting a break on Saturday, July Fourth, because all of the mall’s frequent shoppers took a break from the indoors and headed directly to the beach. 

There’s almost an eeriness to the shopping centre as he closes up early in the day, figuring that Pao won’t mind since not a single customer has entered in the two hours that have passed since the start of Zuko’s shift. The stores he walks by are just as quiet as his own, with only other mall employees there to fill the silence.

The only non-employees he sees all day are the two young teens milling around The Wall, and one glance at Toph and Aang tells him that they have no plans to make a purchase there. 

The music store’s manager almost looks hopeful to see another person walk into the store, but the light quickly drains from his eyes when he realizes Zuko is only there to see his friends. With a sigh, Shen slinks back into his office, the door closing loudly behind him.

“How’s it been?”

“Slow.” Sokka gestures to the shelves they’ve organized during the last few hours. 

When Zuko walks by Katara, she’s arranging the new arrivals by color. Clearly, their morning has been just as exciting as his. 

“I’m bored,” Toph laments, lying down on the counter with her arm draped across her forehead.

“Drama queen,” Zuko mumbles, knowing that she’ll hear it from his place beside her.

Katara looks over to them with a bright grin, “Toph, do you want to do something together?”

“I don’t know if I’m that bored.” Fortunately, Toph lowered her voice enough that Katara didn’t hear her from the aisles.

Zuko flicks her arm, “Don’t be rude.”

“Fine, I’ll hang out with her. But only because you like her and I’m a generous person.” He opts not to entertain her with a response.

She raises her voice, putting on a false cheerfulness that Zuko wants to roll his eyes at. “Sure, Katara. What’d you have in mind?”

“I’ve been trying to get a makeover at Macy’s since I got a job here, but I haven’t had the chance to yet.” She hesitates slightly before continuing, “Is that something you’d be interested in.”

“Oh yeah, I’d definitely be down for that,” Toph lies.

“You owe me one, Sparky,” she whispers when she gets up. As if this wasn’t a small consolation for the hundreds of times she’s put him into bad situations.

“Add it to my tab,” he responds dryly, watching as the girls walk out the door.

The woman behind the Macy’s make-up counter is wearing a stylish pastel green blazer with a matching skirt that reaches past her knees, a hairstyle that adds at least three inches to her height, and a red-lipped smile does a poor job at hiding her disdain for the two teenagers approaching her. 

With a tight smile she asks, “How can I help you ladies today?”

“We’d like makeovers.” The woman’s brow raises, taking in Toph’s rough clothes and trying to figure out what scam she could be pulling, “You can just add to my mom’s card under the name Beifong.”

Her eyes widen and in an instant, the woman’s demeanor changes. “My name is Hiromi, and it’s my pleasure to assist you two today,” she guides them over to the chairs beside the counter. She begins with 

“Thanks for agreeing to this Toph, I’m sure this isn’t your thing. So in return, do you want to know something kinda funny?”

Toph nods, though Katara can tell she’s unsure if she’ll find it humorous or not. Sokka and Aang have always teased her far from universal sense of humor.

“I got dumped last night.” There’s a slight pause, “It’s okay, I know you want to laugh,” Katara insists, even chuckling at her own misfortune. 

With her permission, Toph lets out a loud cackle, much to Hiromi’s displeasure as she attempts to apply the girl’s lipstick. “Really? But aren’t you like- super pretty?”

Katara blushes slightly, “Thanks but how would you know?”

“Believe me, I have it on good authority.”

Choosing not to question her further Katara begins, “Yesterday, I went out with this guy, Jet…”

In terms of dates, she supposes it could have gone worse. At least there weren’t any tears and she didn’t spill something on herself. So besides, getting well… dumped, she’d even argue that it was a pretty decent date.

He took her to his band’s latest gig. It was in a dingy hole in the wall near a tea shop she and her grandmother frequent, and even though the air smelled like sweat and cigarettes, she enjoyed herself. 

It was fun, and easy. Jet seemed like a great person to spend her summer with. So she let his music wash over her, pretending that it was written for her.

Until she was reminded that it wasn’t.

“There’s a guy in Brooklyn that wants to check us out. Maybe even a record deal. It’s big news,” he tells her while another band is playing.

The smile that had been on her face suddenly felt harder to maintain, and she felt her heart sink in her chest.

“We’re gonna head up there next week.” And there it is.

“That’s fantastic.”

“I’m sorry, Katara. You’re great, but it’s just bad timing.The Freedom Fighters and I can’t miss this chance.”

“I get it. I’m happy for you.”

“You know, you and that guy, Zuko… I think you’d get along pretty well. That might be worth a shot.” Great, not only had she been turned down, but he was trying to set her up with someone else. But she still blushed to hear that he’s advocating for Zuko of all people. She’d only just become friends with him, what would Jet know?

Still, Katara omits this part from her retelling of the night to Toph.

“What?” A startled laugh accompanied her reaction.

Jet eyed her, “Oh don’t give me that shit. I saw you two looking at each other the other day.”

Fortunately, the band finally played a song she knew, so she avoided any more of the conversation by asking Jet to dance. They spent the rest of the night doing so until he dropped her off at home, her feet slightly aching and one of the Freedom Fighters’ songs stuck in her head. 

Whatever sadness she’d felt about him leaving had been long lost during the hours they spent dancing. 

“Good luck in New York, Jet. Make sure to call me when you get famous.”

“Oh I will. I’ll even make sure you’re in the front row of our first sold out show.”

Telling Toph about her night is much easier than talking about it with Sokka. He’d been waiting in the living room for her to arrive, ready to interrogate her and question all of Jet’s actions. And Aang starts acting strange whenever she mentions dating around him. 

And after Jet’s comment, Zuko sits at the bottom of the list of people she wants to recount the night to.

Which left her with one person, and though it comes to Katara as a bit of a surprise, Toph makes for a good listener.

“I expect tickets to that show as well, Sugar Queen,” Toph insists, able to talk properly because Hiromi finished her makeup. “There’s nothing I love more than free shit.”

Katara can’t help but laugh at the expression on Hiromi’s face at Toph’s choice of words.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.”

“What are you guys doing?” 

It appears the girls have returned.

Katara and Toph walk back into the store with matching blue eyeshadow and their faces completely made up. He’d seen Toph with makeup plenty of times in the last year of his old life, when her mother decided she was of the age to wear it to the stuffy parties and functions they frequented. 

However, this is the first time he’s seen Katara like this, and it has a far different effect on him. He wipes his hands on his pants, finding that they’ve become slightly clammy since he’s seen her new look, complete with long dark lashes that bring out her bright eyes.

“Piercing Zuko’s ears,” Sokka answers his sister’s question, holding a pen to Zuko’s left ear, marking a dot right in the center of his earlobe. 

The girls left them alone, bored and restless, so they began to joke about things to do with their small taste of freedom. 

“We could go to Claire’s and get our ears pierced,” Zuko shared with a laugh, adding one more unlikely idea to the list.

Unfortunately for him, Sokka didn’t find it nearly as funny. “Wait, that's actually a good idea. But why would we pay some girls, just so they can screw it up? Might as well do it ourselves.”

They placed Aang in charge of the store while they explored the earring options at Claire’s, trying to find an option that wouldn’t bleed silver into his ears while the sales associate flipped through her gossip magazine.

“Where’s Shen?” Sokka noticed the absence of his manager when they walked back into the store.

In their absence, Aang started dusting the shelves. “He went on his break a while ago. I don’t think he’s coming back.” 

“Where the hell did you get a safety pin?”  

“I think it’d be best if you didn’t ask.”

Aang holds up a lighter with a grin, “Don’t worry, we cleaned it.”

She puts out a hand to stop them, “Wait. Give that to me,” Katara takes the safety pin from Sokka. “I don’t want you to hurt him.”

“Don’t be a buzzkill. He said he wants them pierced.”

“Stop whining. I never said not to pierce his ears. I just don’t think you should be the one to do it. I can do it.” She turns to Zuko, “If that’s alright with you.”

Zuko gulps, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. “Sure, that’s fine.” 

“Sokka, can you go get me a cup of ice?” 

She rolls her eyes, coming closer to Zuko, “Were you really going to let them pierce your ears without numbing them first?”

He shrugs his shoulders, looking down so she doesn’t see the heat rising in his cheeks, “I hadn’t really thought about it that much.”

“Good thing I came then,” she says, taking his lighter in her hand to clean the safety pin again.

By the time Sokka comes back with ice, Zuko still hasn’t fully comprehended what’s happening. Katara drew a dot on his ear with a blue pen, and Aang provided an apple slice for her to stab into. Yet, it isn’t until she sticks the pin into his ear that he is completely aware of the situation.

“Fuck,” he hisses at the initial sharp

Sokka looks over them squeamishly, “Yeah, it’s probably for the best that I didn’t do it.”

“Told you. Hand me that wet paper towel,” she directs him, taking it to clean any blood from the puncture. 

“I’m sorry,” Katara says to Zuko, her tone genuine. “But I got it all the way through the first time so this ear should be good.” She places the tiny stud in his ear, and he distracts himself from any thoughts of pain by looking at the blue necklace that hangs around her throat. “All good,” she leans back when she’s done.

Then she turns toward his left side with an analytic gaze, and a wave of self-consciousness overcomes him.

“Is it okay if I do this one?” She asks, her voice softer than before. He watches her hand come up to touch his scar, which extends from his inner eyelids to the tops of his ears, narrowly missing the bottom of his earlobe. 

Her fingers ghost across the raised skin, and a small shiver runs down his spine. “Does this hurt?”

“No.” It’s been a long time since it caused him any physical pain.

“Can you feel it?” 

“Yes.” It’s different compared to the other side, but he can still slightly feel the sensation of her touch. Her fingertips spread warmth through his skin and for a second, he allows himself to wonder what they would feel like touching other parts of his face. He clears his throat, “It’s not the same, but I can feel a bit.”

He can also feel Katara’s warm breath across his skin. And he can smell her perfume, filled with scents he can’t place, but he can’t get enough of their combined effect. With her face so close to his, he refuses to let his eyes stray down to her lips, which he knows from earlier, are coated in a shimmering gloss. No, instead, he closes his eyes to stop his thoughts from straying any further. 

It’s been too long since he’s been in a relationship, and the close proximity to Katara is causing him to act strangely. There’s nothing more to it.

A small part of him knows that’s a lie, but he pushes it aside.

“Did it hurt, dude?” He hears Aang ask from across the room, causing Katara to jump back slightly.

Zuko opens his eyes, adjusting to the store’s harsh lighting. “Not too bad.” He’s felt far worse pain. 

Katara plunges the needle in again before putting in the second earring, going through the same procedure as before. “Alright, I’m done.” She steps back, looking at him, and he hopes that a blush isn’t apparent on his cheeks. “I think I did a good job.”

“I’m sure they look fine. Thanks Katara.”

Taking a marker off the counter, she writes her number on his forearm.

“It was no problem. Just make sure to keep me updated on the piercings.”

Zuko waits approximately forty five minutes after he arrives home to call Katara. His uncle is pouring himself tea in the kitchen while watching him practically race to the phone, and he can feel an observant gaze on the handwritten numbers that run across his arm.

“Did you have a good day at work today, Nephew?” Zuko already hears the smirk in his question, and feels heat spreading on his neck.

“Yes, Uncle, I did.” No need to elaborate and risk having his business spread around the neighborhood.

“That is nice to hear,” he takes a sip from his cup, and points out Zuko’s hand on the phone. “Let me give you some privacy then, I’m sure you have plenty to talk about.” 

Ignoring his Uncle’s slightly teasing words, he dials Katara’s number, his heartbeat growing faster as he waits for her to pick up. 

“Hi, Zuko here,” he winces slightly at his awkward greeting. Conversations over the phone had never been his thing. Hopefully, it’s her and not Sokka or another one of her relatives.

“Hey.” He breathes a small sigh of her relief to hear Katara’s voice.

He coils the phone cord around his finger, “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No no, you’re good. I’m all yours.”

Ignoring all his good instincts, Zuko basks in her words and replays the last sentence in his mind, suddenly aware that he'd do anything to hear her say it again.

Chapter Text

It’s Friday night at Misty Palms and there’s nothing Zuko wants more than to go home. Both of the store’s other employees called out sick, so he agreed to cover for them. Eight hours later, he slightly regrets that decision, but tries not to dwell on it too much as he waits for his way home.

Naturally, his bus doesn’t show up.

After twenty minutes of standing there, watching gray clouds move towards him, hovering over the mall in an ominous manner that caused the other people waiting for the bus to abandon the stop ten minutes prior, he considers his options: hitchhiking, calling a cab, or sucking it up and walking to Iroh’s. Once again, he thinks back to his car from his life before, now sitting in the driveway of a man who never deserved to own it. Just as he starts walking, the sky opens up, and a harsh summer rain begins drumming into his skin.

“Great,” he moves his soaked hair out of his eyes. “Just great.”

“Hey buddy,” a voice shouts across the parking lot, interrupting his train of thought. In the blur of rain he sees Sokka in his car. “What’re you still doing here?” 

Behind her brother, Katara leans forward to look at him, her mouth slipping into a frown at the sight of him. Of course, he runs into her at a time like this.

He sighs and addresses Sokka, “The bus was late. I don’t think it's coming anytime soon.”

“That sucks man. Do you want a ride?”

Zuko blinks, internally kicking himself for not considering to look for his friends before. He hadn’t even realized they’d be working today. “Sure, that’d be great. Thanks.”

Sokka waves him off, “Don’t mention it.” 

Still, guilt weaves its way into Zuko’s gut when Katara has to get out of the car in order to let him into the backseat.

“I’m sorry,” he tells her, cringing as his jeans dampen the fabric. 

She chuckles, “I can handle a bit of rain. At least I’m not soaked like you. It’s Sokka you might have to apologize to. This car is one of his most prized possessions.”

“Yeah, dude, I don’t necessarily appreciate you spilling an aquarium on my backseat. But it’s not like you had another option, so I’ll let it slide.”

Azula would’ve made him walk home before risking her seats, but he had his own car then, so he can’t complain too much. 

The siblings talk most of the drive to their house, while Zuko remains content with listening and only adding input here and there.

“I’m 6’1”,'' Sokka says, and although he can't see it, Zuko knows there's a smug grin on his face.

Zuko raises an eyebrow, choosing not to point out that he’s taller than Sokka and is only six feet tall. 

Katara, on the other hand, picks a less subtle route, “According to who?”

“My doctor,” he replies defensively.

“Unless your huge ego managed to add an extra three inches to your height, you may need to consider finding a new one.” Zuko lets out a small laugh and Katara looks back at him with a grin.

“We see the same person.”

“Yeah, and he doesn’t lie to me about my height, maybe you’re the issue here.”

A short drive later, they arrive at a small suburb similar to Uncle’s, though it’s on the other end of town. The impractical cul-de-sacs and winding streets bring more comfort to Zuko than Ozai’s staggering McMansion ever did.

The first thing Zuko registers is that the Kuruk’s home is warm. 

The rain shower had already stopped by the time Sokka pulled into the driveway of the ranch, but his wet clothes and hair made Zuko shiver when he stepped out of the car. 

However, the house brings color back to his cheeks. There is an awful floral wallpaper running throughout the living room (it matches one of their armchairs) and bannock sits waiting for them on the kitchen counter. 

An elderly woman with the front pieces of her hair looped behind her ears, as Katara sometimes does, walks down the hallway, ready to greet who’s at the door. Zuko stills, very aware of his disheveled appearance. But the woman, who he assumes is their grandmother, barely bats an eye at him; Clearly he isn’t the first stray dog Katara and Sokka have brought home. 

Katara immediately meets her with an embrace, and Sokka gives her a hug with one arm while mumbling about how “he doesn’t want to seem unmanly.” Zuko remains on the sidelines, hoping to melt into the background and go unnoticed. 

But Katara looks up at him and says to the woman, “Gran, this is our friend Zuko.”

“Zuko, meet Gran Gran.”

Despite the woman’s age, her sharp blue eyes assess him with scrutiny. She turns to her granddaughter, “Is he staying for dinner?” 

Katara responds before he can get a word out, “Yes.” 

Gran Gran gives her a small smile, nodding her head, “Good, I already planned to make extra. And Sokka,” she waves a hand towards Zuko, “get him new clothes. We don’t let people freeze around here.” She acknowledges him last, “Welcome to our home, I’m glad to have another one of their friends over.”

“Thank you ma’am,” Zuko replies.

“Please, call me Gran Gran,” she insists before sending him down to Sokka’s room in the basement. Zuko can tell that Iroh would take to Gran Gran immediately.

Making his way down the steps, Zuko finds Sokka in a dark room with navy blue walls that smells distinctly of body spray. The other boy hands him a t-shirt and pants, to which Zuko mutters a small thanks, before heading to the bathroom across the hall.

While setting his folded clothes on the top of Sokka’s desk, Zuko spots a t-shirt that he’s seen before in the laundry basket. When Sokka returns, he points out the cropped blue top and chuckles, “This doesn’t look like it’s your style.”

“Fuck, the laundry must’ve gotten mixed up again. Can you take that to Katara’s room?”

“Uh sure, where is it?”

“Main floor, past the kitchen, it’s straight ahead, the door on the very end.”

Zuko nods and follows Sokka’s request despite the nerves beginning to bubble in his stomach. It feels ten degrees hotter by the time he reaches Katara’s bedroom door and raises his fist to knock on it.

“Come in,” she calls out over her radio. She doesn’t look surprised to see Zuko enter, “I figured it was you. Sokka never knocks.”

He holds out the shirt. “I came to return this.”

“Oh great,” she smiles. “I’ve been wondering where that went.” 

Zuko hums a response, looking around her room. Everything about it screams Katara. Posters stand out on the blush pink wallpaper, female icons ranging from Whitney Houston to musicians in punk bands he hasn’t heard of. A couple of stuffed animals sit on her bed and large novels are stacked on her desk next to a stereo. He feels like he could spend forever in the room, peeling back layers of Katara’s life.

His own bedroom walls seem bare in comparison, no pictures of friends or family, or hobbies and passions. He’d refrained from putting anything up, stating to Uncle that it would be easier for when he went to school.

Katara puts her shirt away and turns back towards him, but her eyes are pointed towards the ground. “I hope I didn’t overstep when I said you’d eat dinner with us. I was barely thinking and I should’ve considered that you might have plans already. I understand if you can’t stay.”

“No, I want to stay.” The look in her eyes when she glances up at him causes his brain to stop working for a second. He registers the movement of her mouth, but whatever she says next is completely lost on him.

He regains focus in time to hear her say, “-birthday. I still don’t know what to get Sokka.” She sits on her bed, leaving room for Zuko. However, he opts to sit in her desk chair, deciding that its the safer option. “Do you have any ideas?”

He shrugs, “Not really. I didn’t even know his birthday was coming up. Besides, you’re his sister, why bother asking me?”

“Well, you’re both teenages boys.”

“You could ask Aang.”

“He’s too young, he doesn’t really count.” Zuko’s sure Aang would disagree. “But anyways, I’ll have to think about it later. I need to help Gran Gran with dinner.”

He follows her out of her bedroom and they part ways in the kitchen. When Zuko returns to the basement, he’s fortunate to find that Sokka’s too absorbed in a video game to pry about why he’d been upstairs so long.

Sokka’s birthday is mentioned again at dinner, which is a meal of fish and rice in the room adjacent to the kitchen. 

“You should totally come to the beach with us,” the near 18-year-old says through the food in his mouth. He’s invited all of their friends on a daytrip down the shore.

“Sokka, that’s gross. Don’t talk while you’re eating,” Katara reminds him.

Zuko’s hesitant to say yes, “I don’t want to intrude.”

“Intrude? Dude, we’re friends. We want you there,” Sokka insists.

“Plus, you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to see Sokka embarrass himself around Suki.”

Zuko smirks, “Oh, in that case, I have to come.”

“Smartass. I rescind my invitation.”

“You can’t do that, I’ll bring him as my plus one,” Katara responds in his defense, flashing a quick smile at him over her glass of water.

Halfway through dinner, they hear the front door open, and Katara and Sokka’s faces suddenly wear matching expressions of excitement. 

“Dad,” the siblings shout simultaneously, racing to the door like children again. Zuko watches with a sense of happiness for them, knowing that he’d never been so excited for his dad to come home. It reminds him of the anticipation he’d felt when his mother would return from the store, and the tight hug she would give him, even if they’d only been apart for a couple of hours.

“We thought you wouldn’t be home until later,” Katara admits, pulling back from a strong hug.

Her father places a hand on her arm, “It’s been too long since I’ve had dinner with my favorite people. I made sure I’d be home in time tonight.”

A father admitting he was wrong is something new to him, but Zuko finds he likes it. 

Zuko stands when he approaches the table, but still feels small in comparison to the man’s grand stature. “Hello, I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Hakoda,” their father sticks out a hand.

Zuko takes it, trying to come off as strong and as sure of himself as possible. He wants Hakoda to like him, even if he’s not fully sure why. “Zuko.”

Hakoda’s brow raises, “Zuko? I’ve heard plenty about you.” That could be good or bad. But he continues, “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

They continue eating with Hakoda at the table, avidly listening to any stories he has to share with them. 

Zuko chuckles at Hakoda’s terrible jokes while Sokka and Katara share exasperated glances reminiscent of the ones he and Azula would share when they spent the night at Uncle’s and had to listen to his confusing proverbs and off color jokes. 

There’s a small pang in his chest when he realizes that he can’t remember the last time he enjoyed a meal with his sister, one that wasn’t ruined by cold silence or their father’s words. In the years before he left, they barely ate together at all, simply choosing to avoid fights by taking meals in separate rooms.

Through all the conversation, time passes quickly and before long, the three teenagers are the only ones left at the table after Gran Gran caught a bad cough and excused herself for bed and Hakoda went to take a work call. 

Sokka sighs, “I’ve gotta go too. Someone is making me do my own laundry.” He sends Katara a bitter glance.

“I’m preparing you for college. How were you going to live without me?”

“I can drive back on weekends.”

She crosses her arms. “I’ll change the house key.”

“Fine, I’ll do it. But if I mess up, it’s your fault.” He pushes his chair in dramatically before leaving the room.”

Used to his antics, Katara just shrugs her shoulders..

“I should start washing these,” she gestures to the plates on the table.

“I’ll help,” Zuko offers without a second thought. It’s the least he can do. 

Carrying the dishes, they move into the small kitchen and stand beside each other at the sink. Zuko washes while Katara dries and puts everything where it belongs, small talk passing between them as they work.

”How are your ears doing?”

”Good. They’re not infected, which is always a plus.”

At one point, Katara, nonchalant as ever, asks, “Were you and Jet like, a thing?”

Zuko blinks, uncertain how to respond. Something in his gut tells him that he can be honest with her. “Yeah, we were. How’d you know?”

She shrugs, “Some might call me a detective. Or maybe like calls to like.”  He’s not sure whether she’s referring to their taste in men or something else. Maybe both, he thinks for a moment.

Then he remembers how she and Jet met in the first place and pauses, “Are you two together now?” It shouldn’t concern him if they are, but there’s no use lying to himself by saying he wouldn’t be disappointed.

“No, he’s heading to New York.” The sinking feeling in Zuko’s stomach is replaced with surprise. He would chastise himself for the smug grin he’s trying to contain, but Katara doesn’t seem at all upset about Jet leaving.

“For the band?”

“Yeah. I hope it works out for them.”

“I do too,” Zuko replies, realizing it’s the truth.

His eyes drift around the kitchen, falling upon a couple of pictures in frames. In the center of the photos is a woman that looks like an older version of Katara with a small child in her lap and an award winning smile on her face.

“Is that your mom?” The question leaves his tongue before he has the chance to think about it more. 

Katara looks at the picture with a distant expression,  “Yeah, that’s her.”

“She’s gone. She died almost five years ago,” Katara tells him with a sigh, drying off the last dish before placing it on the counter beside her.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Katara. My mom’s been gone for a while too. It never really leaves you.”

Katara nods, staring at the wall ahead of her, blinking so that tears don’t fall from her face. Katara chastised herself; it was so long ago, and yet, she still cries when the topic is brought up. “My mom… she was everything to me. Sometimes I feel like she’s still here.” 

More than once, Katara’s breath has hitched in the hallway, when for just a moment, she feels as if she’s seen a glimpse of her mother wandering around out of the corner of her eye. But then she turns towards the woman, and finds only her reflection staring back at her, and reality settles in again.

“What was her name?”

“Kya.” He nods and she asks him, “What’s your mom’s name?”

“Ursa. To be honest, I’m not sure if she’s dead yet. I just know she hasn’t been in my life in a very long time. Sometimes, I don’t know if there’s a difference.”

She lets her gaze wander over to him, looking at the side of his face that’s facing toward her, the one unmarred by the scar. Internally, she realizes that she likes either side of him as much as the other. “I think I know what you mean. My mom had cancer, and by the time we found out, it was too late. I kept hoping, kept praying it would get better. But when she was in the hospital, Dad started to work more hours and Gran Gran wasn’t in the best health either, so I just kind of became her. I made sure everyone ate, and did the chores, and checked in on Sokka, hoping that if I did a good enough job, she would come back to us. But maybe it was because I knew that she was gone a long time before her heart stopped.”

She takes a deep breath, feeling twelve again, “That didn’t stop it from hurting though. We were all in the room when it happened, but I was the only one awake.” It was then that Katara came crashing down. What would she do if she couldn’t talk to her mom or feel Kya’s comforting embrace on her best and worst days, and everyday in between? 

Lost in her thoughts, she comes back to the present when she feels slightly wet but warm fingers brush against her hand. Zuko doesn’t say anything, he just places his hand on top of hers and gives it a small squeeze. 

She isn’t sure how long they stay like that. Maybe a few seconds or a few lifetimes. It doesn't matter.

Eventually, they finish washing the dishes and Sokka comes back upstairs. She and Zuko don’t bring up the conversation again, but there’s an obvious shift between them lingering in the air. She can feel Sokka watching her curiously when she hugs Zuko goodbye. 

“Bye Zuko.” He takes a second to respond to her embrace, and she almost pulls away, afraid that she’s invaded his personal space too much this time. But her anxious thoughts subside when he wraps his arms around her and says, “Bye Katara.”

The lights are still on when Zuko returns home. That would’ve struck fear into his heart if he lived with his father, not knowing what man would be there waiting for him behind the door. But now, he knows it’ll just be a pot of tea and his Uncle, if he’s still awake.

He thanks Sokka for the ride and makes his way up to the house. Quietly opening the door, he finds Iroh sitting in the living room.

“Ah Zuko,” Uncle says, looking up from his crossword puzzle, “I’m glad to have caught you before I went to bed.”

“Sorry, I should’ve called and told you I wouldn’t be home for dinner. It slipped my mind.”

“Don’t worry nephew. I left some food for you in the refrigerator if you’d like more later, but for now, please have some tea.”

He accepts the warm cup and takes a seat beside his uncle on their sofa. 

“Were you out with friends? The new ones from work.”

“Yes Uncle.” Iroh pried that out of him a couple weeks ago, when he began questioning why Zuko’s demeanor wasn’t as cold and irritable as usual. 

“I’m glad to see that you’re enjoying yourself.”

Zuko lets a small smile slip onto his face. He had explicitly told himself not to get too involved with new people, not to make any new connections he would have to break off. But now he’s considering that belief, knowing that it’s worth it to have his friends for the time being, at least. “I am too.”

Chapter Text

Katara’s trying to kill him. He’s certain of it. Or maybe they’re all conspiring against him together, trying to see how much he can embarrass himself before the day is over. 

Zuko can feel her pressed against him, sound asleep with her head on his shoulder while they drive over a bridge towards the shore. 

Sokka and Suki, now officially a couple, are lost in their own world up front, with Toph snoring beside them, her head leaning on the door. Zuko, Katara, and Aang take up the back. Five seats to choose from and she sat next to him.

"I don’t know why he insisted on getting up so early,” Katara complained through a yawn, her nose scrunching up in the process.

“We have to get good parking,” Zuko mimicked the speech Sokka had given them when he ran through the plan for the day.

“It’s Wednesday. I don’t think people are planning to fight over spots at 9:00 am.”

“I don’t mind it much. I tend to get up early anyway.” Morning time has always awarded him peace and quiet.

She put her head on his shoulder. “Good for you,” she responded, letting her eyes flutter closed, unaware that he had forgotten how to breathe. 

The second they set down their towels, Katara races for the water. It’s freezing, but she pays no mind and cuts through the small waves. Pushing back her wet hair, she turns to see if the others have joined her.

Aang rushes into the water, grinning despite the temperature. “It feels great,” he calls out to her. “Do you think we’ll see any dolphins today?” 

Katara shrugs, thinking back to the rare occurrences in which they’ve seen fins in the distance, too far away to swim out to (no matter how hard she and Aang try). “I hope.”

The rest of their friends remain in the sand. Toph settles into the chair she brought, having already announced that she intends to stay dry. Katara’s eyes skim over to Sokka, whose own eyes are focused entirely on Suki- well, more specifically, her kelly green swimsuit.

Zuko looks out into the ocean and catches her gaze. She waves, mentioning for him to come in. He hasn’t even taken off his shirt yet. Not that she necessarily wants him to or anything. 

Suddenly feeling very warm, she turns back towards Aang, sharing his infectious smile. 

Katara’s always looked forward to day trips to the beach. She gravitated toward the water as a child, wreaking havoc on both her parents when she would dash in. There was a comfort in swimming all day long, lazing around in the sun. After her mom passed, it became one of the few places she could let go of her responsibilities and simply relax.

Yet, she feels anything but relaxed when Zuko joins them in the water, in only his swimming trunks, giving her a full view of his shirtless chest. Her heart skips a beat and her skin starts to burn hotter as she flushes, like he’s the first attractive boy she’s ever seen.

Fortunately she’s prevented from doing anything embarrassing when Suki runs into the water (Sokka trailing behind her) with a ball up in the air, shouting, “Does anyone want to play?”

They descend into a competitive series of games. At one point, they play monkey in the middle, but it quickly falls apart after Zuko becomes aware that Aang can jump to abnormally tall heights. Then Sokka tries to explain another game to them, but Suki snatches the ball and starts passing it around, and they simply decide to let chaos dictate them for the next half hour. 

While Sokka and Aang race for the ball in the distance, Suki slides up next to Katara and smirks, “I think the lifeguard’s been looking at you.”

“He’s probably trying to make sure one of us hasn’t drowned yet.”

“I don’t know, he seems to be a lot more concentrated on you than on those two wrestling over there,” she points to where her boyfriend and Aang are currently fighting over a toy like children.

Unsurprised at their behavior, Katara says to Suki, “He needs to do better at his job then.”

She hears a snort and looks over to Zuko, who’s standing a few feet away and had clearly been listening to their conversation, despite his averted gaze. 

Suki notices too, “What do you think Zuko? Does the lifeguard have a shot with her?”

He opens his mouth before closing it again. At the same time, the lifeguard stands in his chair, eyeing the water while her brother and Aang grow louder.

Zuko finally responds, “I think Sokka’s keeping him too preoccupied to find out. You might want to handle that before he has to give your boyfriend mouth-to-mouth.”

Suki just shrugs her shoulders and grins. “Well, if the opportunity’s there, I wouldn’t want Sokka to miss out.”

Being generous friends, they unanimously decide to give Sokka some alone time with his girlfriend on his birthday, and oblige to stay on the sand for some time while the couple is in the water.

Toph immediately begins giving orders to Aang, having him fill buckets of water for a sandcastle. Katara settles down on her towel with a book, letting the sounds of the beach fade into the background while she takes in the words. She doesn’t look up until she feels someone sit beside her.

“I forgot to bring something to read,” Zuko sighs.

She gives a lighthearted tsk, “Rookie mistake. I thought you brought music?”

“My Walkman needs batteries,” he shrugs.

“So am I your last choice?” she feigns a pout.

“That would actually be Sokka.”

She snorts, “That’s a bit harsh for the birthday boy.”

“He’ll be fine. The new video game I got him can keep him company.”

Katara glances at the progress Toph and Aang have made, and wonders how she didn’t catch it before. “Wow, that’s an impressive sandcastle.” Her eyes trail the spires that almost reach Toph in height and the smaller peaks that spread below.

“Yeah, building stuff is kind of her thing. Not to mention, she and Aang seem to make a pretty good team.”

Katara had always admired Aang’s ability to make friends with anyone. It’s reassuring to know that he won’t be alone after she’s gone.

Beside her, she notices Zuko brushing the sand off his shoulders, grimacing to find it stuck everywhere. 

“Do you come to the beach often?” She cringes internally, mocking herself for such an awkward question.

Zuko runs his fingers through the sand. “Not really,” he admits, “I did once, my family used to go all the time. I haven’t been back much in the past few years.” She can tell there’s more to the story, but she doesn’t push him further. His eyes meet hers, “But I might consider coming more often, with the right company.”

His words hang in the air, but Katara is distracted by a small bit of sunscreen left on his cheek. Before she knows what she’s doing, Katara reaches over to rub it in, her fingertips brushing the ridges of his scar. “You missed a spot.”

Zuko’s right eye is wide, revealing a shade that looks like a swatch of the sun, and his mouth is parted slightly. Red dusts his cheeks and nose as if they’d already gotten sunburned. Katara feels like she’s on fire.

He clears his throat, “Thanks.” His voice is barely heard over the waves behind them.

“Do I have any left on my face?” an eager voice approaches them, and Katara pulls down her hand, turning away from Zuko.

“No, Aang, you’re all good.” 

Her eyes must be deceiving her, because she swears that Aang’s shoulders drop at her response. But then, his cheerful face returns once more and he announces he’s going to get shells for Toph’s sand fortress. Katara watches him run towards the water, smiling slightly to herself to know that he hasn’t lost any of the spirit he had as a child.

Once Aang is gone, a stiff silence settles between them, only interrupted by seagulls and water crashing onto the shore. Katara struggles to read the page once more, her thoughts wandering to the boy next to her. They’re both lying stomach down on their towels, and everytime he shifts, she can feel the ghost of his movement. 

It would be so easy to reach out and slide her hand into his. She recalls their moment at her house the other day, his fingers steadying hers. 

But she keeps her hands to herself. It would be best to keep whatever feelings she’s developing at bay for now.

“Should I buy a hermit crab?” Sokka points to one in a cage. “It could be a dorm mascot.”

Aang’s face lights up, “That’s a great idea Sokka.”

“I thought you wanted to get food,” Toph complains, uninterested in the $5 crustaceans being sold on the boardwalk. They had packed up their belongings and put them in Sokka’s car, throwing shirts and jeans over their swimsuits before heading over to the shops.

He nods, leaning away from the cage, “You’re right, it's not smart to make business decisions on an empty stomach.”

Zuko’s glad when Katara calls him away from the conversation, waving him over to the clothing section of the souvenir shop. The lighting is even harsher than the stores in the mall, especially in contrast to the sun just outside.

She puts on a pair of heart shaped sunglasses, and gives him a wide smile, “How do I look?”

Perfect. He spent the earlier part of the day trying not to stare at her long bronze legs in her purple swimsuit, or her hair, which turned gold under the sunlight as it cascaded down her back. In the water, he thought he saw her glancing at him too, but it may have just been wishful thinking. She looked so radiant, he wouldn’t have complained if she chose to drown him.

“You look great. They really suit you.”

“You should get some too. You have to protect your eyes from the sun.” His eyes aren't the only thing in desperate need of protection, his heart is barely hanging on. 

She put an identical pair of sunglasses on his face, “Perfect.” Her tone is teasing but he still flushes, wondering if she’s able to read minds. Maybe just his. 

He finds the nearest mirror, assessing the frames on his face. He looks ridiculous, with two red hearts over his eyes like a lovesick cartoon character. Then he looks back to Katara, and offers to purchase both pairs.

When they step back onto the boardwalk, Suki glances between the two of them, a knowing look on her face. She describes them to Toph as “two dorks wearing matching heart sunglasses,” and Toph’s face grows into a similar smirk. Sokka grimaces, and Aang fails to hide his slight frown.

“It was this or matching earrings,” Katara jokes. “We had to make use of the sales.”

“I think I miss when you were complaining about him. It wasn’t nearly as gross.”

“Sokka, you bought me a bracelet,” Suki holds it out to show Katara.

“That’s different, we’re dating. They’re just annoying for the sake of it.”

Toph lets out a harsh laugh that startles Sokka, and Zuko decides it’s time for the conversation to end. “Weren’t we just discussing getting food?”

“Oh yeah, man. I know just the place.” Trusting his judgement, they all set off in the same direction as Sokka.

Even when he had visited the beach, Zuko never went on the boardwalk. His family elected to travel to more secluded spots, ones that cost an outrageous amount of money simply to sit on the sand. When they got older, Azula and her friends dragged him to late night bonfires on private beaches. But drunken nights that usually ended with tension or fighting didn’t exactly make him want to come back.

He can guess that Toph grew up with the same experiences. He can’t imagine Mrs. Beifong buying a cheap t-shirt and pizza the size of her head, or Mr. Beifong letting his daughter anywhere near water that could potentially be filled with sharks.

Sokka finds a table that they can all squeeze into and look out over the beach. Zuko watches a group of people his age playing volleyball, and sees glimpses of him and Azula doing the same during their past trips down the shore. She’d be appalled to see him eating a funnel cake, according to her eating junk food was like desecrating a temple. But he does wish that things had been different, that he could enjoy a day at the beach with his little sister, like Sokka and Katara and so many others do. 

He feels a tap on his hand, interrupting his thoughts. He looks at Katara across the table from him and she mouths, “You good?”

Her sunglasses are pushed back in her hair, leaving a few strands sticking out. Zuko wants to tuck them back for her, but he chooses to simply nod in response, hoping that she can’t hear his heartbeat growing louder.

The boardwalk grows more crowded throughout the day, and when the sun sets and they travel down to the carnival games and rides at the end of the pier, it feels like Katara’s entire high school is there.

“Hey Teo!” Aang calls out toward one of the game booths. Behind the booth, a boy and his dad wave at them, continuing their tradition of working there every summer. Aang turns back to his friends, “I think I’ll finally win a prize from them this year.”

The six of them chip in for tickets, buying enough to last the whole night, before splitting off into different directions. Time passes quickly, though seconds and hours seem indistinguishable when alternating between lines and booths, constantly searching for something new to do.

Aang chats with Katara and Sokka while they stand in line for the Tornado, a rollercoaster they’d gone on together every year since they became friends. It used to seem so big. Sokka would point at it and say, “I’m going to build something like that one day.” With college starting soon, that dream doesn’t seem so far away anymore.

As they wait, Katara looks out and spots their other three friends at a booth, Toph seemingly trying to con the guy working at it. It’s funny how quickly their group of friends found each other. It's only been a month and yet, she can’t imagine this night without them.

After the rollercoaster, they search through the crowd to meet up with their friends again. Toph grabs Sokka’s wrist and begins to drag him in the other direction, “C’mon Birthday Boy. We need to demolish Aang at bumper cars.” Suki and Aang quickly follow them, trying to get in line before another group of people comes.

Zuko puts his hands in his pockets. “And then there were two.”

Katara holds up her remaining tickets with a grin, “Want to go do something with me?”

They get in line for the tilt-a-whirl, and Katara can’t help but notice the amount of couples surrounding them. There are a few families with young kids sprinkled here and there in the line, but the weeknight crowd is mainly teenagers holding hands and non-discreetly eyeing each other. It’s not hard to picture what it would be like if she and Zuko were on a date.

Clearing her head of that thought, Katara considers hopping out of line to join their friends, but before she can, the ride attendant opens up the gate to let them onto the ride.

We’re just friends. Katara has to remind herself of this when she and Zuko get into the purple booth, shaped like a dragon on the outside. He sits directly across from her, shaking his leg as they wait for the ride to start.

After eons, it finally begins to spin, picking up speed as the seconds go by. Before long, Katara is giggling as her hair whips around. Zuko slides into her, his body crushing against her side, laughing loud and hard. It's the most beautiful sound she’s ever heard, entirely carefree. She wants to hear it over and over again. By the time they start to slow down, there are tears coming from her eyes and a permanent mark etched onto her side from where Zuko was pressing onto her.

They stumble off the ride, and Katara’s cheeks are aching from the grin plastered on her face. She looks up to see Zuko wearing a similar expression, in his own way. Her eyes trace his lopsided smile and messy hair, letting the commotion around them fade away.

She blames it on the adrenaline coursing through her veins and the way he’s looking at her, with half lidded eyes under the green and magenta fluorescent lights. A magnetic force is drawing her to him, and she lets it take her. It happens too quickly for her to overthink it, and she starts leaning in, tilting her head up, angling her lips to meet his.

He leans in too, and all she can hear is the sound of her heartbeat growing louder.

They’re so close, too close for it to be a mistake. The inches between them shrink and she closes her eyes, waiting for him to-

“Katara! Zuko! Over here!”

Her eyes snap open to find a startled Zuko. Just like that, the moment ended, her idiot brother having ruined it. 

“What does he want,” she whispers through gritted teeth. 

Sokka approaches them, brandishing a large stuffed bear. “Look at him.”

“I won it for him,” Suki smirks.

“Yeah, she did,” Sokka says with pride. “The poor kid running the game didn’t know what he was in for. I mean, some carnival game with milk jugs versus one of the best softball players in the state? There was no competition.”

“That’s great!”  She hopes he doesn’t notice the way it strains her to seem excited. 

Doubt starts to settle in her stomach, questioning whether Zuko actually liked her or got caught up in the moment. 

Toph and Aang catch up with them, forcing her to forget about any thoughts regarding romance. She’s here to have fun with friends. She can’t do that if she’s too busy working herself up over a boy.

So Katara joins her friends’ laughter as Sokka recounts stories from the games, and tries not to jump when Zuko’s arm brushes against her. One near kiss and she’s already struggling not to act like a fool. 

While the others are waiting in line for a drink, she notices Sokka off by himself and goes to sit beside him, “What’re you thinking about?”

“I’m reminiscing on the times before I had an annoying little sister.”

“I’m sure those ten months without me were glorious.”

“They were.” She kicks his foot. “I’m just kidding. But I am glad that we got to do this tonight. I feel like all we do is work. It was nice to take a break and just, you know, have fun.”

She nods, swinging her legs as she sits on the bench. “I get what you mean.”

“Of course you do, I’m a genius.”

She groans, “I can’t wait for you to leave.”

“You’re gonna miss me.”

If her proximity to him had been taunting on the ride there, it’s electrifying on the way home. The tension becomes overwhelming as Zuko thinks about how close her lips had been to his. 

When Sokka arrives at Uncle’s house, he gathers his things and opens up the car door, saying goodbye.

He catches Katara’s eyes, and he’s unsure if he should say something. She makes the decision for him.

“Goodnight, Zuko.” 

There’s something hidden in her voice, and he walks up to his doorstep knowing that it’s going to haunt him all night.

Uncle was out playing Pai sho with old friends, so he isn’t interrupted as he makes his way into his room and plays the moments over in his head. The way Katara looked on the beach, her blue eyes shining in the water. The way she smiled at him on the boardwalk, her laughter when they were on the ride. It wasn’t all in his head, she had been the one to lean in.

The rational voice in his mind tells him that it was a good thing they were interrupted, that whatever is growing between them isn’t going to last. But the voice is momentarily swallowed by his racing heartbeat, which can’t get enough of Katara and all the possibilities of requited affection. 

He’s been in this situation before. The early steps of a relationship. Knowing that it might come crashing down, but still pursuing it anyway. And this one could easily end in disaster. 

But what if it doesn’t?

He went into summer trying his best to cut off any connections with people, and only succeeded in developing better friends than he’s had in years. It seems like the harder he tries to get away from Katara, the closer she gets to him. It might be time to just give in and see where it goes.

As Zuko is getting ready for bed, the phone rings. He trips over his shoes trying to reach it, shamelessly hoping that Katara’s on the other line.

“Hello?”

It isn’t Katara. In fact, it's one of the last people he’d expect to call him, and there can be no good reason why she’s decided to reach out now.

“Azula?”