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You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun.
Zuko breathes in.
The morning air is warm and sweet, carrying honey and wildflowers on the breeze. The fire lilies must be in bloom already.
Zuko breathes out.
Familiar heat blossoms in his chest and radiates out to his entire being, fire in his veins. He sighs and rolls over, stretching like a cathawk, languid, content. He cracks an eye open.
Sunlight pours in through the eastern balcony, the early rays just barely reaching his side of the bed, their gentle heat like a loving touch on his skin, in his hair. Closing his eyes, he leans into it, enjoys the warmth it leaves in its wake, feels his flame growing, his entire body thrumming with energy. Hardly anything could make this morning more perfect.
Zuko opens his eyes again.
Katara sits on her mat on the floor, crosslegged and facing the open balcony, deep in meditation.
Zuko smiles. His morning just got even better.
Stretching one last time, he pushes the covers off of him and gets up to go greet his wife.
There's a bowl on each side of her; one half-full, one empty. Several orbs of water float through the air, each no bigger than a small apple, orbiting around Katara's head, various distances away from her. Standing behind her, Zuko watches the orbs pass through the sunlight and back into the shade of their room and marvels at the play of light as it filters through the water and onto Katara's skin. This new exercise of hers fascinates him. It's like a strange miniature galaxy, with Katara at its centre.
Seeing her like this - with her eyes closed, concentrated and carefully present, in the privacy of their chambers - Zuko can hardly believe his luck.
He steps forward and the orbs let him through, parting their intricate trajectories just enough so as not to crash into him. He sits down at Katara's side, careful not to knock over one of the bowls in the process.
"Good morning, your majesty," she says as Zuko leans into her. "Slept well?"
"Mmh hmm." He hums into her hair and snakes his arms around her. Even in the sunlight, she feels pleasantly cool and Zuko revels in the contrast against his heated skin. "Good morning, sunshine. Someone's up early."
He can hear the smile in her voice when she speaks. "Oh shush. I couldn't help myself, today is perfect for this."
He looks up and his smile widens. Of course she's awake - it's a clear day, hardly any clouds in the sky to obscure the moon among the wide expanse of blue. It's slightly faded in the light of the morning sun, but still bright, its presence powerful regardless.
Katara is rarely awake before Zuko, except on days like this, when the moon is in the sky, calling out to her.
He loves to wake up with her like this - strong, smiling bright, and just as awake as he is in the moment. They don't get to bask in each other's light very often, with him being an early bird and his duties keeping him busy most of the time, and her prefering the evening and night hours, when the energy flowing through her is at its peak and she can concentrate best.
They enjoy every moment together they can get, even if it's brief, or they're distracted with other tasks. But sometimes, when the time is right, they get moments like this.
Zuko kisses her cheek and stands back up to go get the teapot.
He brings some leaves as well and when Katara bends a few of the water orbs together into one and into the pot, he heats the water for them. Snuggled up together, with both the sun and the moon in the sky as their only other companions, they drink their tea and Zuko silently thanks his uncle, for teaching him how to prepare a tasty brew, and the spirits, for giving the firelord such a perfect moment with the waterbender.
She rises with the Moon, and He rises with the Sun.
But sometimes, when the time is right, they can be present for each other.