Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Iroh smiled.

Tomorrow would be the last day of instruction then onto winter break. The University campus would be closed for the Solstice season and everyone would go home to their loved ones to spend a joyous holiday with their families. Coeds would leave the Middle Ring in droves and tourists would replace regular customers. The passage of time had the same ebb and flow of the sea, the dance of life. And in these golden years, the retired General took a moment to appreciate his quiet sanctuary as he methodically swept the floors. The Jasmine Dragon was a lifelong dream and something he took great pride in maintaining. And who'd have thought that he -the once notorious Dragon of the West- would come to own a tea shop and reside in the Upper Ring as a pillar of the community?

Destiny was a funny thing.

"I'm home Uncle."

"Hey there General Iroh!!"

"And Sokka's here."

The old man put down his broom and turned with open arms. "Sokka, my boy, always a pleasure to see you! Will you be staying for dinner?"

"If you're cooking, Iroh- You know it!" The young man was smiling as they embraced before easily flopping into the nearest booth, making himself right at home.

Iroh put the kettle on and busied himself preparing the right teas- Lemon Ginger for Zuko and Black Lychee for Sokka. "How were your finales?"

His nephew had a duffle slung over his shoulder and let out an exasperated sigh, racking a fistful of hair off his face with his free hand. His tone was anything but thrilled as he flopped down next to his friend. "They're done."

"I got one more tomorrow, but it's for constitutional law so I figure I can wing it."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "How are you possibly going to wing that?"

Sokka tapped his temple with a knowing smirk. "It's all up here, buddy."

Iroh chuckled at the young Watertribesman. The boys had formed an unlikely camaraderie after their first year, and Sokka was possibly the first real friendship Zuko had ever had. Granted their friendship spawned from an ill-advised operation that landed them both in a jail cell for a night- but Iroh had bailed Zuko out of for far greater offences.

He let them decompress and vent about harrowing questions and professors' cruelty while habitually puttering around his kitchen. Listening to the young men chatter on about something so mundane as college exams, one would never know that they had both been through Koh's cave and back in their short lives. The young should not have to suffer for old men's wars. Aside from the obvious physical scar on his Nephew that constantly affected his self-esteem, it was the scars on his spirit that worried Iroh... But it warmed the old Dragon's soul to see his beloved child's heart finally healing.

"Pakku and GranGran want us to experience Solstice in the dark days like when they were kids- can you believe that? I mean- how am I supposed to enjoy myself some caribou-yak nog without a touch of midnight-sun madness? But Dad is stationed up there right now so it works out for everyone. I gotta pick up my sister and Suki in Republic City before heading North."

Iroh jumped back into the conversation at the mention of Suki. "And when am I going to meet this lady friend of yours?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow skeptically scandalized. "Caribou-yak nog?"

Sokka grinned from ear to ear, addressing Iroh and completely ignoring his friend. "Oh don't worry, General, you'll meet her. She's going to spend the Spring Breather here in Ba Sing Se. She has a tournament or… something- I don't know I wasn't really listening."

It was Iroh's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Isn't that…? Well, that's a bit... in advance."

Sokka waved him off, "Trust me, Suki's a keeper."

Zuko clacked, "Who says she's going to keep you?"

"Hey- who asked you?"

The Old Dragon's belly heaved as he laughed. "Oh, love is wasted on the young." He side-eyed his Nephew. "You could do with a bit of romance yourself, Zuko."

His scarred boy crossed his arms matter-of-factly with a shrug, "Nah, I'm no good to anyone with all the flaming hog-monkey crap I've got going on in my messed up head."

"Nephew..." Iroh's tone warned against the self-deprecation as well as the language.

"And Uncle, I'm healthy enough now to recognize that." Zuko looked out the window and started tiddling with a small flame in his palm. "It's a good thing."

A thoughtful silence passed between the three men. Aside from an awkward first date here and there at Iroh or Sokka's urging, no one had captured his Nephew's attention for long. He said -and probably believed- he scared the girls away. Since he left Caldera for good this last time, he remained disinterested in the fairer sex. Well, that wasn't entirely true… but pining for an ex who had long since moved on with someone new wasn't doing him any good either.

Was it getting hotter in here?

Sokka smoothly broke the silence to ease the sudden rise in temperature coming from Zuko's direction. "So what are you two doing for the Solstice?"

Iroh carried a tea tray to their table. "We're just going to have a quiet holiday here. I might put Zuko to work-" a groan of anguish underscored the comment, "-see some old friends, play some Psi Sho, just take it slow and relax. Winter Solstice isn't as big in the Fire Nation as it is in the Water Tribe."

"Yeah," Sokka jerked a thumb toward the door and scoffed, "All you see is that fat rosy-cheeked singing fish-monster in the Earth Kingdom- no Moon Spirit anywhere! Do people even know what they're celebrating anymore?"

Zuko masked a grin with the lips of his tea cup. "You and the moon, man."

"The Moon Spirit is a gentle loving lady! She rules the sky with compassion and... lunar goodness." Sokka grabbed his own cup indignantly. He was always touchy about the Moon Spirit for some reason.

Iroh changed the subject with a smile, "So does your Suki go to school in Republic City?"

"Yep. She's captain of the Kuei Ball team for the Warriors. They're first in the league."

"What University is she at?

"Oh, well she's at the…" He mumbled something at the end.

"At the what?"

"At the…" he mumbled again fractionally louder.

Zuko prompted helpfully. "At the High School?"

Sokka got unnecessarily defensive. "She's a senior!"

Iroh laughed hard. "Oh, she must be special to tear you away from the college girls!" He looked to his Nephew who sighed with wistful resignation. Perhaps it was the idea of a lonely holiday for the youth, or the allure of cultural immersion, but it was at that moment the old Dragon had a most brilliant, ingenious plan. He had to tread lightly though, make it seem like it was their idea. Iroh cleared his throat. "You know when I was your age, I toured the North. That's when I met your grandfather, Sokka, he was picking up the pieces of a broken heart; which if I recall correctly, your grandmother was responsible for?"

Sokka laughed and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "GranGran laid him flat! Left his chauvinistic butt and raised Dad on her own in the South. She's tough as nails."

"It's nice that they have recoiled after all these years. Good friends are rare, and it's difficult to spend time together as the years go by."

Sokka nodded and Zuko sipped his tea.

Iroh tried to bait them again. "You need to enjoy your friends in your youth,"

Nothing.

"Travel, meet new people, Take some chances,"

Zuko yawned.

"If you wait around for life to happen, it is bound to pass you by."

Sokka set his tea down. "So what's for dinner?"

Oh for Agni's sake- "Perhaps I could try my hand at a traditional Water Tribe recipe. Wouldn't that be nice Nephew?"

"I guess."

Sokka punched Zuko's arm, "You haven't lived until you've had my GranGran's steamed clams."

There was his opening! "It would be wonderful if Zuko could experience them for himself."

"It sure would."

….

….

…. Really?

….

….

Iroh rolled up his sleeves. "If only there was a way for Zuko to get the full Water Tribe Solstice experience."

Zuko answered with a smirk in Sokka's, "It would be pretty cool…. Get it?"

Sokka burst into a fit of laughter. "It's 'cool'!!! Aww, that's a good one, buddy! Ahahahaa!!"

These boys may have been college material, but they were both dense as doorknobs. "I suppose I will get started on dinner then."

"Oh, Uncle," Zuko took he and Sokka's cups and rolled up his sleeves to start the dishes. "Sokka wanted to know if I could tag along for the holiday. I know it's short notice and don't want to leave you alone, but like you said it might be good for me…"

Iroh blinked.

"Uncle? I don't have to go if-"

"NO!!" Everyone froze. "No, that is such a generous and thoughtful offer. And besides, you could use a bit of an adventure."

Zuko furrowed his brow in surprise. "You're sure you're okay with it Uncle?"

Yes! For the love of all things sacred, yes!! "Give my regards to Master Pakku. I'll go shopping in the morning and send a gift with you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zuko rubbed his temples staring out the window.

What Sokka called a 'classic' was in actuality a converted Sato delivery van with an illegal bench seat wedged behind the driver and passenger. There was absolutely no leg room, the safety harnesses weren't actually attached to any part of the old beater, and it topped out at 45 miles an hour if the wind was at their back. He had prayed for his life more times that he'd like to admit sitting up front in the rickety death trap- Spirits knew what would happen to the weight distribution when the girls joined them. Sokka couldn't even drive the monster without having his copilot -him- lean his full torso out the window to check the blind spot since he forgot to install mirrors and the back window was non-existent. And the worst part… Sokka kept referring to it as 'Sparky- the Love Machine.'

Another car sped around them with a long droning honk.

On the up side, Sokka added bunks and a kitchenette in the cargo bed. Though Zuko had his doubts about the craftsmanship of the makeshift recreational vehicle, being able to retreat to a bed and sleep whenever they needed a break made the cross country 'bro trip' slightly more bearable. They had been driving for three days… and this was only the first leg to Republic City- they still had to get to the North Pole.

Not surprisingly, for the majority of the trip Zuko found himself staring out the window questioning his life choices.

"I think we're going to get there ahead of schedule. You think we could push through the four-o-candle potty break?"

Oh- and how could he forget Sokka's flaming schedule! "Sure…"

"The sooner we get there the better."

Zuko fought the urge to roll his eyes… again. "I couldn't agree more."

A goofy grin spread over his friend's lips. "And when we get there, Suki's waiting for me."

Zuko attempted a smile, but it fell flat. He was looking forward to meeting Sokka's girlfriend and sister, but spending the rest of the trip awkwardly trying to make conversation with strangers in a van just wasn't in his comfort zone. He was never very good at making friends or meeting new people. He tended to stand at the back of a room and sip a drink to keep himself from stammering on incoherently about how he can juggle or something stupid.

Bang!!

Zuko braced himself as the van jerked and the exhaust started sputtering black plumes of smoke.

Sokka struggled to get over to the side of the road but laughed despite himself. "At least the engine isn't smoking."

And right on cue, the hood of the car shot up with a blast of flame. The young men clawed over each other and scrambled out of the mobile. Sokka was immediately on his phone calling the cops and Zuko bent the fire out to salvage what he could.

"No, I will not hold--- I'm on hold." Sokka sighed and slung his arm across Zuko's shoulders. "Good thing we canceled that potty break, huh?"

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was so like Sokka to be late.

Katara sat on the curb in front of the dorms with her backpack and carry-on tote beside her. She checked her phone again for the umpteenth time and sighed. This is what she got for being the responsible one. Suki was late too, but she was on campus somewhere. The least Sokka could do was call and tell her what was taking so long, not leave a cryptic text saying 'Running late- Sparky went boom boom Have no meat 😭" Her brother was a piece of work.

"Hey Katara!" Suki waved and started jogging across the street with two comically large luggage cases trailing behind her. "Sorry I'm late, I wasn't sure what to pack so I just grabbed everything. I hope it's not too much."

Katara smiled reassuringly . "As long as you brought the parka my brother got you, you'll be fine."

"Monkeyfeathers!" Suki cursed at her phone. "I forgot to charge my phone. Does Sokka have a charger in his car?" Katara started snickering. "What?"

Oh, it felt good to laugh. "That's a big N-O. We'll be lucky if the overhead light works."

Suki's shoulders fell. "Oyaji will be worried sick if I don't call."

Katara rifled around in her backpack, "I think I have a benderless-charger in here somewhere…"

Suki plopped herself next to Katara on the curb. "I'm really nervous."

Suki truly had it all- she was President of their class, captain of the Quay Ball team, champion martial artist, honor rolled, a princess on the Solstice Formal court, head of the yearbook committee and already had her pick of full ride scholarships from Caldera, Be Sing Se and Western Air Universities. Why Suki decided to date her brother was honestly beyond Katara- she could have her pick of literally anyone in the Four Nations.

"Trust me Suki, you have nothing to worry about."

A wisp of vulnerability flashed over the older girl's face before- "Suki!!!" And a gaggle of popular girls, or possibly her teammates, waved. Suki was instantly consumed into a sea of giggles, apprehension forgotten.

Katara smiled politely but she remained seated on the curb. She knew a couple of the girls' names and was friendly with them but not particularly close to any. Suki had a natural magnetism about her and could assimilate herself with any group. Katara on the other hand, was the person you wanted when you needed help with a project. She got things done and worked hard to keep her scholarship. She was well liked and respected and had a group of close friends, but she wasn't known for her… funness.

But she was totally fun.

She was.

"How romantic!" One of the girls swooned. "You're living a spirit-tale Suki!"

"Does he have any college friends he could introduce me to?

Suki shrugged with a puff of sound. "Maybe, I'm sure you could ask him." A squeal of delight from the group made Katara roll her eyes. None of them had met her brother.

A flicking of headlights caught her attention and Katara's eyes bulged. "Sweet merciful Spirits…."

Sokka was driving up, hanging out the window waving at them with a huge smile. How he could be smiling was beyond her. The mobile was worse off than she had ever seen. A rope was jerryrigged on the front hood holding it down as it bumped along and wisps of smoke simmered out from almost every orifice. The whole chassis was shaking and tilting on every minor bump in the road and one of the tires wobbled like it was going to pop off at any moment. Then there was the smell of rancid oil that wafted on the breeze as he drew ever nearer.

There was no way she was getting in that car.

Katara covered her mouth in horror and all but screamed, "Sokka!! What happened to the car?!"

"Hey Katara- SUKI!!!" The van wasn't even at a full stop when Sokka swung his door open lept out and dramatically threw his arms excitedly into the air. Sokka was running toward them when the mobile jerked to a stop causing the bumper to fall off. Then her wonderfully thoughtful and caring brother pushed past her and embraced Suki. "I missed you so much!"

Suki giggled and kissed him. You would think he drove up in some kind of chariot the way the other girls carried on. "I missed you too, Sokka. Girls, this is the guy I've been telling you about."

"Hello Ladies."

Sokka flexed his muscles and Katara knew it was over by the squeals. She was completely forgotten and long past fuming. She looked at all the baggage on the curb, then to the van, then scowled at Sokka and crossed her arms. "Gimme the keys."

Sokka waved her off.

"Sokka. Give me the keys!"

He spared her a glance. "Buzzkill much? They're in the van."

Katara growled and marched to the driver's side door. She struggled with the latch before stomping her foot angrily and marching to the other door grumbling. "Stupid Sokka. Stupid van-"

She threw the passenger door open and heaved herself onto- "Hey watch it!" -A person!!!

Katara squeaked in surprise and tried to disentangle herself from the stranger but the door slammed behind her, smashing them together in the bucket seat. Perhaps an apology would have been more appropriate considering she had just sat on some guy in Sokka's mobile, instead she shouted, "Get off me!"

"You get off me! My arm is-" They both grunted uncomfortably and somehow the stranger wiggled out from under her and clawed his way into the driver seat.

Katara wanted to scream and heard herself cursing-

"Flaming Sokka!"
"Flaming Sokka…"

The pair looked at each other for the first time and blinked. This definitely wasn't the way either normally introduced themselves, but at least they could agree on something.

The stranger had the sharp angular features, shaggy black hair peeking out from the hood of his nondescript burgundy pull over, and the tell-tale gittering gold eyes of Fire Nation descent. He was lean and fit, probably tall and objectively a good looking young man, though a quarter of his face was marked by an angry pink scar that spanned over his left eye and ear. He didn't seem completely loathsome considering their awkward first encounter, so Katara decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Nervously, she smiled and the stranger smiled back scratching the back of his neck. Katara broke the silence. "Sorry about that."

The guy shook his head, "It's okay- I was trying to open the door but I was trapped in the harness."

Katara grumbled, "Well at least that works."

"Not exactly." The guy shook his head and pointed to his chest where the passenger harness was still bulked around him in the driver's seat. Katara couldn't help laughing at the ridiculousness of it all and tried to cover her mouth to stifle her giggles. The guy cracked a small smile of his own and hummed in disbelieving amusement. "You must be Sokka's sister."

She extended her hand. "That's me. Katara."

He took her hand with an exceptionally warm shake. "Zuko."

Katara tried to lighten the mood, "So how have you come to this rolling death trap, Zuko?"

"I've been asking myself that for the past three days." They both laughed. "Sokka invited me to Solstice."

Katara nodded, "GranGran always says 'the more the merrier'. I just hope we make it."

"We broke down about 20 miles back. It's a miracle we made it this far."

Katara sighed, "I was going to load up our bags in the back before this debacle."

Zuko took the keys out of the ignition and handed them to her. "If you can figure out how to unlock it, I'll start grabbing stuff."

Katara closed her fingers around the keys and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thanks."

Zuko didn't say anything but she watched him climb out of the van and walk toward the curb where the bags were. Some of the girls started whispering when he approached and Sokka slung his arm around his shoulders to introduce his friend. Katara figured Zuko was lost now too and resigned herself to figuring out how to open the back.

Katara wasn't angry anymore but she was not happy about this either. It always fell to her to get things done. She loved her brother, she really did, but he just didn't think about the menial tasks that his hair-brained schemes entailed. It was incredible that he could statigically draft bills and treaties for the Republic Council- it got him a scholarship to BSSU- but the execution of his plans were always someone else's pieces to pick up… like his old sweaty socks.

"Did you get it?"

Katara's eyes fluttered in open shock seeing Zuko coming around the van with all of the bags. She truly hadn't expected anyone to help her with the task and just figure she would load the van while the others talked. She sheepishly reached for take her bags to lighten his load, but Suki's two extra large suitcases still trailed behind him.

"Yeah," She shook herself back into her senses and jimmied the latch open. "Yeah, thanks umm… Zuko."

He didn't respond again, intent on the task at hand and shoved the first case under the bunk. "Is this one full of bricks?"

"Here-" Katara let her pack drop to help slide the second suitcase up next to the other. It was much heavier than it should be. Maybe she should have helped Suki pack. "We'll probably get charged double on the airship."

Zuko stopped with an incredulous glare. "What airship?"

Katara' eye darted back and forth in confusion. "...the one we're talking to the North Pole?"

"Well, no one told me."

She shook her head, this whole trip was doomed. "Well, we're supposed to be taking the last charter tonight so we'll be North tomorrow afternoon."

Zuko's face softened with innocent wide-eyed disbelief. "So… we don't have to drive anymore?"

The idea of driving to the North Pole seemed ridiculous to her, but seeing the sheer amount of relief on the poor stranger's face made her icy attitude warm with comfort. "Just to the airdocks."

Zuko threw his hands up into the air. "Praise Agni and all that is holy!"

Katara smiled briefly before relaying the situation seriously. "We need to get going though, the last charter leaves in two candle marks and we need to get the van in the line up or we'll have to wait until morning."

The young man's eyebrow knit together determinately. "I'll get Sokka."

Katara nodded him on. "I'll be in the van."

The understanding between them was nice. Though she'd never met this guy before, they fell in sync naturally. Not that she ever had a problem connecting with people, but she hadn't been anticipating meeting anyone and wasn't exactly putting her best foot forward. If she had known someone else would be joining them, maybr she would have combed her hair or worn a cute top instead of pajamas or something. Still, it was just nice to have an ally united in their shared misery.

Katara clambered onto the back bench and tucked her legs in the limited space. She tried to be considerate of Suki- that girl was in for a treat riding in Sokka's car for the first time- taking the brunt of the discomfort was the least she could do.

The front cab swung open and Suki popped her head in. "Sorry, Katara we got a little caught up."

She smiled, "No worries- let's just get going."

Sokka put a leg up into the driver's seat and whistled. "Load up kids! Zuko- in the back."

Katara gasped and leaned forward with a harsh whisper. "Sokka, he can't fit back here."

Suki quickly agreed. "It's alright, I'll sit in the back-"

"It would be ungentlemanly of me to let a lady sit in the back."

Katara's eyes narrowed. "What about me?"

"Annoying sisters don't count." Sokka grinned and raised his eyebrows before nudging his friend. "You understand- right buddy?"

Katara rolled her eyes and growled her frustration.

Then there was a pause. She watched the young man's eyes narrow at Sokka, then scowl at the offending back seat, then soften at Suki, before finally landing on her with resignation. For the briefest moment Katara spoke a thousand curses and apologies to him with her own eyes. When Zuko sighed, muttering under his breath. "I don't believe this." she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. It took four whole minutes and a 'helping hand' from Sokka for poor Zuko to get his legs situated and squeeze himself into the back.

Katara palmed her face.

Chapter Text

After a harrowing number of minutes, Zuko finally breathed. The van barely made it up the ramp to the airship hull. A pair of metalbending crewmen had to run a chain around the front axle and tow it into place when the brakes started to give way and they were rolling backward into the car behind them.  

Sokka's sister leaned back against him, almost laying completely across his lap, which wasn't hard in their present proximity. The only way he could possibly fit in the back was to position himself toward the middle, taking up most of the seat and threading his legs over the center console. He probably lived in the van now. Katara was yanking at one of her legs that had gotten wedged between the door, bench and the driver's seat during the assent. "Sokka, please, I need to get out now ."

"Alright, alright-" Sokka's door only opened from the inside, but Suki's passenger side only opened from the outside. Sokka was hustling but there was no way of speeding up the process. He and Katara were simply stuck until Suki was out and he could climb over the seat. "Welp- we made it!" 

Katara gave a tight hiss when Zuko started shifting and Suki gasped covering her mouth with a hand. "Katara- you're bleeding!"

Zuko paused immediately and looked to where her leg was pinched. There was blood wetting through the knee of her denim pants. "Agni-"

"What?! Katara what happened?!!" Sokka jumped into Suki's door trying to see, inadvertently shaking the whole van and making Katara's situation much more painful. 

When she cried out, Zuko raised himself up, kicked the driver's seat and pushed his side of the bench backward. Katara was quick to free herself, and fell completely back against him. They both grunted uncomfortably before Katara gingerly touched her injured leg. "I'm fine. Can I get some water?" 

Suki rifled in her purse and pulled out her canteen. "Here, there's not much." 

"It's fine." No one else seemed surprised or concerned when Katara's hand glowed blue with a fine glove of water… except him. 

Zuko was starting to see a pattern with Sokka conveniently negating details. Waterbenders were extremely rare outside on the North, this girl was the first he had ever seen. Considering his sister's surprise, Zuko sincerely hoped Sokka had told the rest of his family that he was coming. If the firebender showed up to his family's holiday unannounced, with a guest- let alone without a proper invitation- there would be Koh to pay. 

Katara let out a sigh of relief and subconsciously lulled her head back onto his sternum. "Sorry."

"It's okay." He found that one of his hands was poised at her forearm and gently rubbed a circle from her elbow to her shoulder. 

He didn't have time to consider the intimate nature of his consoling touch or apologize for the impropriety of the situation, because Sokka abruptly threw himself on top of them both hugging his sister, trapping his arm between them. "Katara- are you okay?! I'm so sorry-" 

"Sokka, please - we need to get out." 

Zuko might have added a coherent 'please!!!' in solidarity, but Katara's hair was going down his throat and all he managed was a muffed groan. 

"Oh- right!" The immediate relief of having Sokka's weight off of them was palpable. "Let me just-" Something popped and the passenger seat shot forward. "There."

Katara pushed off him and was free. Visibly limping… but free. 

Now it was his turn.

Zuko gripped the driver's seat and dug his fingernails into the roof, pulled himself up and slipped forward just enough to wedge his butt into the gap between the center console and bench so that he couldn't bend his knees. Any shred of dignity he might have had left had completely gone out the window. Good thing he wasn't trying to impress anyone. 

His first assessment had definitely been correct- Zuko lived in the van now. 

But then Sokka extended his hand. "I got you buddy." 

Zuko reluctantly smiled, clasped his friend's forearm and pulled against him. It was a struggle, but Sokka held firm and he was finally free. And Zuko wanted to be as far away from the van as he possibly could. 

Suki spoke up earnestly, "Are you guys okay?"

Both Zuko and Katara nodded mutely. 

Sokka slung an arm across his shoulders and whispered. "Thanks for the solid bro, I owe you one."

"It's fine." Zuko glanced at the girls quietly conversing as Suki checked in with Katara. "But you owe me dinner."

Sokka palmed his face. "Monkeyfeathers- I only made reservations for me and Suki at the Lounge. Here-" he dug into his pocket and pulled out a linty bag of coppers. "You and Katara can get something at the Air Cafe." 

Zuko set his jaw and blinked, completely unamused.

Sokka held up his hand defensively, "This doesn't count! I swear we'll square up when we get up North." 

"Sokka," Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, "I am not going to babysit your sister while you're off wining and dining your girlfriend in the Sky Lounge!" 

"What? Katara's great! You'll love her!"

"She hates me." 

"Nah… Katara doesn't hate anyone."

"I have her hair in my teeth ."

"Please Zuko, Please. I haven't seen Suki in months- I want everything to be perfect!"

He threw his hands up. "Fine!" Zuko's mind harkened back to something his Uncle had mentioned about enjoying the journey not the destination… well he had obviously never traveled with Sokka. 

"Everything okay?" Suki ventured, again naturally trying to defuse whatever the situation was. 

Zuko crossed his arms with a huff and Sokka smiled, extending his arm to her. "All good, babe. I was just telling Zuko about our plans for dinner." 

Katara was seated on the bumper of the car in front of them. "What's the plan? I'm starving." 

Sokka kissed Suki's cheek with a goofy grin. "It's a surprise." 

Zuko heard Katara groan and glanced in her direction briefly before elbowing Sokka. "Give me a silver." 

For a second Sokka looked as though he was going to resist but wisely thought better of it seeing Zuko's scowl. He briskly dismissed himself from further discussion, handing Zuko more coin. "Come on Suki, our table awaits." 

Katara reached an uncertain hand after her brother. "Wait, Sokka what about-" but they were gone. "-us."

For a moment, the pair just looked at one another. They had spent the better part of an hour uncomfortably smashed together praying for their lives, but the awkwardness of their current situation was nearly as agonizing. They were alone without the conversational buffer of a mutual acquaintance- complete strangers about to go to dinner together. The younger girl was quite attractive- Spirits he wasn't blind- but Zuko never knew what to say to pretty girls….though Zuko knew better than to ogle his best friend's little sister. This was worse than one of the blind dates his uncle would trick him into. At least on those occasions Iroh had the mercy to rattle off informative tidbits about the girl in question so he wasn't at a complete loss. All he knew about this person was that she was Sokka's sister, her name was Katara, and that she hated the van as much as he did. 

Oh and- "So… you're a waterbender?"

Smooth. 

She gave him an unenthusiastic shrug. "Yeah. Are you? A bender I mean?" 

"Oh umm… yeah. I'm a Firebender."

"Neat."

"Yeah…" The silence between them was stifling and despite the brisk evening air, Zuko could feel himself sweating. Then he remembered something else about her and took a tentative step closer with legitimate concern. "How's your leg?"

He watched her features soften and a small smile brightened her eyes. "It's a little sore, but it's okay… Thanks for getting me out." 

"No problem." A pause. "You're a healer too?" 

She nodded with a mischievously sarcastic air. "It comes in really handy when you have a brother like Sokka. You know he once got two fishing hooks stuck in his thumb?" Katara laughed lightly and Zuko felt his lips quirk up at the pleasant sound. She paused a moment taking him in before standing. "So… you hungry?" 

His stomach growled. "Starving." They shared a laugh and the tension eased. Zuko patted his pocket, "Sokka paid me off. We can… grab a bite at the snack bar?" 

Katara rolled her eyes, "Let me guess- they're having dinner in the restaurant without us?"

"Yep." 

"Great." Katara nodded to herself and shook her head with a sigh. "Did he at least give you the keys to lock up the van?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow and gestured weakly at the hunk of metal that somehow passed for a mobile. "You think someone would actually steal it?"

"Good point." 

That made Zuko smile. "Come on, I think we can probably spring for ice cream too."

Katara hopped up smiling, leaving all the awkwardness behind. Zuko was surprised to find that she was easy to talk to, polite and a very good listener. The conversation was light and she mercifully did not ask a single question about his disfigurement.  He had never been one to say much about himself for more reasons than he could count, but when Zuko said something, Katara's full attention was on him and he miraculously found words and conversation flowing easily. 

Zuko told her how they didn't really celebrate the winter holiday growing up but that the first full week of summer was non-stop festivals, that the first time he had seen snow he was sixteen, and that he missed the food in the Fire Nation but definitely preferred living with his Uncle in Ba Sing Se for school where he had met Sokka their freshman year. In turn, Katara told him she was a senior on a bending scholarship at Republic City Academy, she explained why there wasn't going to be sun when they got North, told him all the names of family members he'd meet, and was very excited to have her GranGran's sea prune stew and steamed clams. 

He took note of her food order too. Out of habit- not in a creepy way. His uncle would want to know what kind of tea she liked if she ever came to visit Sokka. Katara had a pre-boxed sea slug salad with ginger-infused pea tendril and hibiscus-root with a side of fresh dumplings, and he ordered the Earth Kingdom style Komodo-Chicken noodle bowl and a bag of Fire Flakes to sprinkle on top that would hopefully up the flavor. They both shared the dumplings and a pot of Jasmine tea, then got ice-cream and hot chili-coco with sweet cream to-go so they could explore the airship. 

There was a viewing platform at the bow of the ship where couples cuddled together on benches to look out over the horizon. Ice cream finished and coco in hand, Katara went and leaned on the railing so Zuko followed. They both stood there in comfortable silence sipping their drinks and looking out at the stars. The food was simple, the night was cold, the topics were light, but his uncle always said that sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights. Zuko had to admit, Iroh wasn't wrong. 

This was nice.

Katara pointed up at a group of stars suddenly. "That's Hei Bai- the Forest Spirit. And that over there is the Mother of Faces standing between her children, the Kemurikage and Koh." 

"Kemurikage- the Spirits who steals kids out of their beds?"

"Those are the ones." Katara's eyes glinted in the dark as she smirked at him between sips. "And we all know what Koh's steals." She made a gagging sound and humorously covered her face with her hands.

Zuko smirked back and leaned closer to Katara. "My sister dressed up as a Kemurikage once for a Fire Days Festival- scared the pants off some meat-heads at a house party." Katara laughed musically and they again settled into silence. Not wanting to lose conversational momentum, Zuko asked, "How do you know so much about stars?"

"My Dad taught me." 

There was a sadness that flashed over Katara's expression at the mention of her father and Zuko wasn't sure how to proceed. Sokka had always spoken enthusiastically about their father. He prayed there wasn't another horrible surprise waiting to rear its ugly family drama head. "Did I say something wrong?" 

She earnestly shook her head. "It's not you. I just kind of got home sick, you know?"

More than she knew. "Yeah I get it."

"And we're not actually going home… we never do anymore. And we're all completely different places. Sometimes it's just..." She shrugged. 

Zuko looked out at the nothingness of the moonless sky over the sea. He wanted to comfort her somehow but he just didn't have the social prowess. He wanted to say that he understood- that home was lost to him and that he'd probably never spend another Summer Solstice in Caldera or smell Fire Lilies on the ocean breeze or watch the Ember Island Players butcher Love Amongst the Dragons , or see his sister again… instead he sighed and chugged the remnants of his cup wishing there was something alcoholic in it.

Then a very small voice pricked at his ears. "But nothing's really been the same since Mom died." 

"I'm sorry." He turned and held her watery eyes. "That's something we have in common." Katara looked at him, eyes fierce and searching for a lie but finding none. She straightened and she scrubbed her palm over a discreetly fallen tear. Zuko swallowed nervously, he could feel something in the air between them shift. Scratching the back of his neck, he glanced back at the sky. "So… what are those stars called?" 

"Those? That's the Legend of Oma and Shu. Do you know it?" Surprising himself, Zuko started humming the song a traveling band had once played at the Jasmine Dragon on Music Night. Katara beamed. "Sokka hates that song!"

It must have been his imagination, but Zuko could have sworn Katara pressed just a little bit closer to him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They landed in the North Pole some time after midday, but with the Dark Days upon them it was impossible to tell the actual time. Katara was more focused than she had ever been in her life. Ever . A brother -who shall remain nameless- got so wasted the night before he had to have his responsible high school girlfriend drag his drunk butt back to the van. Suki put him to bed in one of the bunks in the back and crashed out in the other. That meant she and Zuko had to try to get whatever sleep they could in the cab. So when a grumpy sleep-deprived Zuko went to wake up said brother when they landed and Sokka claimed to be too hungover to drive, Katara -also exhaustedly irritable- found herself in her current predicament... 

Driving the flaming van in the dark on the ice !

"Just keep it steady." Thank La for Zuko. He was basically dangling out the passenger side window making sure they stayed on the road. 

"What's the speedometer say?" Suki was in the back, white knuckling her seat. 

Katara didn't dare take her eyes off the road. "I don't know."

Then Zuko piped in shouting over the howling wind. "How much further?!" 

"I'm trying to concentrate!!" It shouldn't be too much further… but in all honesty she didn't actually know. She had only been to Pakka's Northern Estate once before right after he and GranGran were married and now she was wishing she had gone to visit more often. "What's that?!" 

Zuko squinted into the light on the horizon, and somewhere in the back of her mind Katara wondered how well he could see with the scar on his left eye. "I think it's a house in the snow!!" 

Katara audibly exhaled and hit the gas. "Okay!" 

Suki's hand found her shoulder. "What are you doing?!"

"Trust me!!" 

The older girl's eyebrows knit together and Suki nodded determinately. Zuko hoisted himself back into his seat and buckled the harness quickly. "There's an embankment on the left-"

"Frozen?"

"Solid." He pointed over the dash. "Go right!"

Katara rolled down her window, yanked the wheel left and the van spun. It was beyond dizzying, all three passengers screamed, but Katara kept the wheel turned into the spin while she bent the ice under the axle until they all jerked to a stop. The wheels still spun even after Katara had long since taken her foot off the gas and icicles clung to the tires. She turned the key off, panting hard. 

They had come to a perfect stop right outside the igloo, cradled by the mound of snow, parked as though nothing was amiss.

Suki whistled. "Wow- that was fun!" Both Katara and Zuko turned slowly around and glared at her. "Oh come on guys. Where's your sense of adventure?" 

Zuko muttered under his breath. "With the breaks…" Katara covered her mouth to stop herself from busting up laughing. There was movement from the house and figures were hurrying their way. Zuko blew a breath of flame into his hands, ringing them together before holding himself and coughing miserably. "It's so flaming cold."

Katara looked over at the firebender sympathetically, he had been completely selfless the entire trip. Now he was catching a chill from hanging out the window. "Let's get out of this metal monster." 

She pushed her door open, prepared to go around to the other side and open Zuko's door when- "Katara!!!" She froze. 

"A-Aang??"

He was hugging her fiercely and she brought her arms around him. She was happy to see him but this was a little... unexpected. And considering what happened that last time she saw him… was she just supposed to smile like nothing happened? "What are you doing here?" 

"Gyatso and I have been holiday hoping! He says it's important to honor everyone's culture and traditions. He sent word to a bunch of his old friends and Master Pakku told him when you guys would be coming- so here we are!"

Aang's infectious smile could make anyone's day better and Katara hugged him again. "I'm so happy to see you Aang." And even though he had disappeared a month ago not on the best of terms without a goodbye, Katara meant it. 

She glanced over Aang's shoulder then and paled. Her Dad and Pakku had also come out of the igloo and were all standing around the passenger side door looking in utter confusion at the Firebender in the front seat. Suki had climbed out of the driver's seat and was unlatching the cargo hold for Sokka. She could see Zuko saying something of an awkward apologetic introduction.

"Just a second Aang," Katara had to save Zuko. "Dad!" 

Hakoda smiled, turned to her, and opened his arms to gather her up. "Hi Katara." The warmth and familiarity of her father melted into her heart. "I've missed you, my girl." 

"I missed you too." Katara held her hand out towards her shivering co-pilot. "This is Sokka's friend, Zuko, from BSSU. I don't suppose he mentioned that he was coming." 

"No, I don't suppose he did." Hakoda extended a hand to the younger man. "Glad to have you Zuko." 

Zuko bowed over his hand. "It is an honor to be invited into your home, sir." 

Hakoda chuckled at some privately amusing thought and clasped Zuko' forearm. "Save that proper stuff for my Mother, son. Come on- let's get you kids inside." 

"Dad!"

"Sokka." 

"Katara- you gotta see the new airbending moves I learned!"

Aang chatted away, regaling her of his adventures. More introductions were made, Suki objectively the most popular- the pride on Sokka's face as he introduced his girlfriend almost made the trip worth it. Aang bounded over to Zuko, giving the unsuspecting young man a huge hug and the whole company went to unload the van. 

At one point, her old Master turned grandfather leaned over her shoulder and whispered, "What is your brother thinking bringing a Firebender into my house?"

Katara crossed her arms and all but growled at him, feeling acutely protective of her Comrade in Van. "You better not let GranGran hear that bigoted hog-monkey wash." 

Pakku's eyes narrowed and he shook his head at his disaffectionate grand-daughter. "Hotheaded ashmakers, the lot of them." 

Katara's eyes bulged and her jaw dropped, "Excuse me?!!"

Sokka bounded over to the pair oblivious to the tense conversation, and threw his arms around the old Master's neck. "Grand-Pakku! It's great to see you."

Pakku gave him an unenthusiastic pat on the back, "Sokka, we've talked about this."

Sokka disregarded him. "Have you met my amazing girlfriend Suki?" 

Pakku's lip quirked up and he turned his attention to the young lady. "The pleasure is mine, we've all been looking forward to finally meeting you." 

Her Dad and Pakku each had one of Suki's bags and along with Sokka the four all walked merrily into the igloo. Katara's fury toward Pakku cooled slowly, so she removed herself from the conversation to hoist her backpack onto her shoulder. "Let me carry that for you Katara." 

The airbender was grinning from ear to ear and she gave him a sheepish smile. It made her uncomfortable when people touched her backpack. It had been her Mom's. And Katara didn't really need- or even want- help but she still passed him her carryon to placate him. "Thanks Aang." 

The younger boy floated to the entrance of the igloo and Katara made to follow, but stopped short. She looked back to see Zuko standing awkwardly by the van with his own pack slung over his shoulder. He looked so young and unsure, his jaw was set and he scowled at the snow drift she had used to stop them from spinning. 

She smiled warmly. "Come on Zuko."

He looked up, eyes widening innocently with surprise. Then his lips turned up ever so slightly and he jogged up next to her. Katara liked when he smiled, it was a crooked, small closed-lipped sort of smirk- not the jubilant toothy grin that beamed from Aang. There was an earnest gratitude in the warmth of Zuko's eyes that made Katara's belly warm and her own smile grow brighter. She hadn't known him long and already knew he didn't smile much. But when he did you knew it was sincere... And special. 

In a hushed tone Zuko whispered for her ears only. "I don't have the right clothes for this."

"Don't worry. There's always a spare parka in the mudroom."

They walked inside together and Katara was immediately encompassed by her grandmother's embrace. "There's my little waterbender!"

Katara gave her a squeeze. "I'm so happy to see you, GranGran. It smells amazing in here!" 

Zuko bowed to her. "Lady Kanna, thank you for inviting me into your home." 

Her eagle-cat eyes hadn't left Zuko. "Call me GranGran. Katara, you didn't tell me you were bringing a boyfriend."

Both young benders held up their hands and defensively corrected at the same time; 

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"I'm not her boyfriend!"

Kanna raised an eyebrow. 

"It's not like that, GranGran, we just met."

Zuko nodded and added, "No- yeah! I'm Sokka's friend. He invited me."

Kanna looked him over briefly with a nod. "Well, the more the merrier."

Zuko bowed again with relief. "Thank you."

Kanna smirked. "You all must be hungry. Come help me finish dinner, Katara." 

Zuko gestured to the matron. "Is there anything I can help with, ma'am?"

"Let's put those hands of yours to use. You're a firebender correct, Sokka's Friend? I'll need a fire, Sokka's Friend. Now come along the both of you." Kanna didn't give him a chance to speak, nor did her question particularly sound like it required an answer. Katara giggled and Zuko embarrassment flushed realizing he hadn't actually given the matron his name. "And mind you take your boots off. Katara, show Sokka' Friend where to put them."

" GranGran ... his name is Zuko." But Kanna had already turned from them and retreated to the kitchen. Katara hooked her arm through Zuko's to hurry him along. "Over here." 

Katara showed Zuko where to put his boots and assigned him an extra parka, then rolled up her sleeves and went to start grinding meat for sausages. This part was just like being at home and it felt good to be assisting her grandmother with the first meal of the holiday. Although Pakku's house was much larger than anything they had in the South, the cook fire in the center of the family room was a constant in any igloo. 

After grabbing something out of his bag, Zuko stayed within sightlines of her and followed each of her grandmother's commands as they came. Build a fire, heat the stones, set the cauldron, sear the fish- GranGran had a knack for maximizing efficiency in her kitchen. How she knew Zuko was a firebender remained a mystery, but she certainly knew what they were capable of. When she figured out he was good with a knife too, one would have thought Kanna found a pirate's treasure. 

Katara smiled.

Aang introduced Suki to his guardian Monk Gyatso and he, Suki and Sokka were seated on the sofa debating the advantages/disadvantages of the technological advancements of the Northern Air Temple with her Dad and Pakku. It was no surprise to Katara that Aang soon lost interest and wandered over to her. "You want to get out of here for a bit, Katara?" 

She shook her head good naturedly, "Maybe later Aang, I'm helping GranGran." 

Aang curled his lip at the miscellaneous fish parts floating in the stewpot Zuko was tending, doing nothing to hide his distaste for its contents. "Great… what are we having?"

Kanna interjected, "Two-headed fish soup with squid-ink and seaweed noodles." 

Aang made an unconvincing, "Mmmm," sound.

Katara admonished playfully, "GranGran, you know Air Nomads are vegetarian."

"Fish ain't meat." Her GranGran laughed and pinched Aang's cheek, "You'll love it." Then she turned on Zuko with a smile. "You need to taste it." 

Zuko's eyes flickered over to Aang who was frantically waving with a silent 'don't do it! ' behind her Grandmother's back. Katara crossed her arms and popped her hip to one side, completely unamused. Zuko was simply honest when he spoke, "I don't know how much help I'll be- I don't know what it's supposed to taste like." 

A diplomatic answer to be sure, but nothing could deter Kanna. She dipped a tasting spoon into the pot and held it up to the firebender with a sugary sweet smile. "Down the hatch." When Zuko swallowed, Aang audibly gagged. "How is it, Sokka's Friend?"

Katara rolled her eyes. " GranGran …"

"It's great. Really, really good." 

Kanna beamed. "I am so glad you like it." 

Aang twitched. "You… like it?"

Zuko nodded, "Yeah. I haven't had squid ink noodles that good since I left home."

She gave a curt nod in Aang's direction who stuck his tongue out. "This boy has good taste." Katara felt a cheeky sense of pride hearing the praise. She knew the Watertrible wasn't known for its culinary diversity, but her GranGran's cooking was the best. 

"That reminds me," Zuko stooped over and grabbed the parcel he had retrieved from his bag. Katara made a note that he had brought his bag with him into the kitchen with him. "I brought you and your husband a few bottles of sweet-spiced wine." He nodded respectfully. "And my Uncle Iroh sends his regards and warm wishes for the season." 

Kanna was laughing then, eyes twinkled mischievously, "Oh, that Old Dragon called Pakku a few days ago to tell us you were coming Zuko. And to be sure I put you to work." 

Katara's eyes widened. "You knew who he was the whole time?!"

"Of course I did! And don't you worry, Sokka's Friend , there will be chili oil on the table to give it a little kick. I for one have been looking forward to finally meeting you, my boy." She gave the very confused firebender a big hug and yelled over his shoulder. "Pakku!!!!"

"Yes dear?" 

Katara eyed her old Master warily. 

Kanna shoved a bottle into his hands and pulled his reading spectacles down onto his nose. "Look, dear . Your favorite vintage from your old friend!"

Pakku grumbled something and it suddenly occurred to Katara that perhaps Zuko's presence may have been unwanted by Pakku, but encouraged by her GranGran. 

"Iroh has always been a charmer." 

Pakku rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in a huff. "Is that what you call it?"

"And so handsome . " 

"I am standing right here." 

"Oh pish, Pakku it's just talk." She leaned to Zuko to whisper loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Not that I wouldn't mind taking a ride on that legendary dragon of his- if you know what I mean." The helpless firebender between them turned green. 

"My dear Kanna?!!" Pakku paled whiter than snow. 

Katara threw her head back and laughed, she did so love her awesomely rebellious grandmother.

Zuko quickly gestured to the bottle, desperately steering the conversation away from his uncle's…dragon. "I can heat it, if you'd like to try some now?"

Pakku scowled at his wife, passing the bottle he was inspecting to Zuko. "Thank you. That would be lovely." 

"What do you guys have there?" Sokka made a grab for the bottle, he was naturally curious and always had an acute nose for treats. Both Zuko and Pakku yanked them defensively away. 

Everyone had a good laugh at that and all was right with the world.

"Hey Katara? Can we talk now?"

Well, maybe not everything. "Umm… sure Aang." She turned to her grandmother. "I'll be right back, GranGran." 

Kanna waved her on dismissively. Katara glanced at Zuko and found his eyes on her. There was a question she couldn't quite place behind his eyes, so she nodded lightly, acknowledging him. He nodded in return and turned back to the rest of the group who were all eager to try a sip of the exciting new beverage. Was it odd that she sought him out? Maybe she simply didn't want to ditch him the way Sokka had… but then what was that strange moment that passed between them just then? Maybe she was overthinking it. 

"So... how have you been Aang?"

"You don't know how happy I am to see you Katara!" He was hugging her again and she squeezed back. "Traveling the world is great, but you really miss the people you love."

Katara pulled away gently. "I missed you too Aang. But…" she scratched her forearm nervously. "I guess I'm just a little confused about what happened before you left- you didn't even say goodbye."

The boy hung his head. "I didn't think you wanted to see me."

Katara shrugged. "I kind of wanted to talk about it…" 

"Oh…" An awkward silence passed. 

"Why did you kiss me?" 

Aang twiddled his thumbs. "I thought it would be a good thing." 

"I needed a friend to confide in, not… anything else." 

"Look Katara- I know you had a bad experience with Jet-" 

"Then how could you think kissing me would make anything better?" She was getting emotional- she knew Aang had made a mistake, but it really hurt that someone she trusted tried sticking his tongue down her throat when she felt so vulnerable. She didn't like to talk about Jet at all and had felt safe with Aang so she shared a part of her past that she wasn't proud of. And then he kissed her and disappeared the next day leaving her feeling exposed without any sort of resolution. "What were you thinking?!"

"I wasn't!" Aang's eyes pleaded with her earnestly. "I'm so sorry Katara. It was wrong and I felt so stupid afterward. It never should have happened that way." 

"I know." That way… Katara wasn't a fool, she recognized Aang's affinity towards her the day they met. His kind, energetic optimism had attracted her because it was so completely the opposite of Jet. Aang was a great friend, and she cared about him very much. He would never hurt her- except that he had. And it wasn't his fault he had feelings for her, she just didn't feel the same for the younger boy. Katara was so afraid to lose her friend, she put off this conversation too long... and had led him on. Now it was a big stupid mess.

Aang put a hand on her shoulder tentatively. "Can we just forget what happened? And go back to the way things were?" 

Katara hoped so and offered him a smile. "Of course, Aang."

Aang beamed. "Thank you, Katara." 

"Just please don't disappear like that again." 

"I won't." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hakoda considered himself a fair man. He willingly tried unfamiliar foods, never judging before giving the dish a fair shot. He strove to keep himself impartial during petty squabbles- especially when his children were younger. He took time to assess every situation with discernment and it had made him a respected tactation in the Navy as well as his Tribe. There was a reason he served multiple terms as chieftain among his people, and when he retired he would probably be voted Head Chief and serve the council of elders in that capacity. So when Katara came crashing through the snow drifts with a scarred Fire Nation boy navigating Sokka's van, Hakoda took a very deep breath.

And observed. 

It was obvious that despite Pakku's military comradery with the boy's Uncle, he did not want Zuko in his house. The young man politely tried to appease the elder, though nothing could sway Pakku's attitude. Of course, Hakoda didn't hold that against Zuko in the least- the humorless old man may have been his biological father, but that is where their familial ties ended. Hakoda honestly had no idea how he and his mother had reconciled at all after a lifetime of distance. Love was a fickle thing he supposed.

Hakoda noted how the young firebender moved; his perfect posture hidden by the constant bow of a head, the methodical way he approached his mother's requests, the deft movements of his hand with a knife, the ease of the flame that illuminated from his fingers. Zuko was an extremely regimented individual- though a bit unfamiliar with the execution of menial tasks. With his scar, Hakoda guessed the boy himself had a military background. But a quick query to Sokka put that theory to rest… Hum… which brought him to another quandary... 

The two boys could not be more different. Where Sokka would laugh, smile and joke, Zuko would scowl, frown and roll his eyes. In fact, the firebender rarely spoke or smiled at all, taking each of his friend's sarcastic remarks at face value and often missing the punchline. Zuko's had a serious demeanor- not quite knowing how to navigate their gregarious family dynamic. In fact, it almost seemed that he didn't know how to respond to people having a good time at all. He hoped the young man was simply shy. 

But Hakoda began to get a more sinister suspicion quite quickly.

The first instance was when they sat down to dinner and a ladle slipped out of the bowl Zuko was carrying to the table onto the floor. The boy froze, stared mutely at the floor and cringed, setting his jaw. When his mother simply told Sokka to grab another serving spoon and put the fallen one in the wash tub, the firebender's shoulders fell in both confusion and relief. 

The second was after they sat around the fire for games and Spirit tales. Zuko offered to serve more drinks, which was heartily accepted by the company and he busied himself while the others took out the Pai Sho board. After the drinks were served, Zuko remained removed from the marry-making. He stood, arms crossed over his chest, head downcast, eyes unfocused near a pillar until Katara called him over to join. 

And then there was Katara.

By far the most interesting thing he observed was the strange affinity that was shared between the young man and his daughter. On more than one occasion, Hakoda had spied Zuko tracking Katara's movements around the house, particularly when Aang buddied up next to her. Katara, however, would in turn seek the firebender out, sitting beside him at dinner, ribbing him when he attempted a lame joke, or being first to take an offered mug of the warm spiced wine he brought. There was one point in the evening when Hakoda caught a flicker of a smile on Zuko's face and sure enough, when he followed the boy's gaze he found Katara bending snow cones with honey and cream. 

It was all... interesting.

When sleeping arrangements were being made, Hakoda got his third glimpse of… something. The boys were all put in one of the old bunk rooms and a spare futon was set up on the floor. Aang claimed the top bunk, Sokka the bottom, so Zuko was left with the futon. It was clear by this time the firebender was not adjusting to the dark or cold as well as the others. Though he tried to hide it, his cough was getting worse and a heavy purple hue tinted the fair skin below his good eye- Zuko actually went and got his parka on for bed. The scarred boy was walking around on eggshells and refusing to put anyone out for his sake. When Katara had characteristically noticed his discomfort and brought him an extra fur, Zuko was so stunned, he could barely form the words to thank her. Then the firebender's yellow eyes softened and glowed in a secret way that warmed a pink onto his daughters cheeks… 

That's when Hakoda knew he was in trouble. 

Sokka had mentioned in passing that Zuko was 'better off' and 'lucky' to be living with his Uncle who was hailed -especially by his own mother- as an absolute delight. The comments were usually followed up with an amusing anecdote from the boys' semester. Zuko never mentioned any other family members, so Hakoda did not press for personal details. It was obvious that this young man was starved for affection and was gravitating to Katara's caring nature… as more and more boys did than Hakoda cared to admit. 

So it was here- staring unblinking up at the cracks between the ice blocks that made up the ceiling, the sleeplessness of his exhausted mind too palpable to find any real rest- that Hakoda's thoughts lingered. Perhaps he should be considering Sokka's fool-hearty attempts to sneak into the girl's room or the ramifications if he succeeded- but no. He hadn't gotten a clear read on this newcomer and his little waterbender. The last time he hadn't gotten a good read on a boy that showed interest in Katara it had ended in a parent's worst nightmare. 

Just the fleeting thought to that- that- that- Hakoda sat bolt right up in bed and scrubbed his hands up his forehead over his hair. He blew an exasperated breath out his lips. 

Curse his brain.

Now he was really up. 

And he had to get up. 

Hakoda heaved himself to his feet, slipped a pair of moccasins on and staggered across the main room to the ice box. The fire was smoldering as he passed the long couch, the pleasant glow casting shadows in the main room. What he needed was a nice cup of warm caribou-yak nog. Yep, that would ease his restless brain and put him right to sleep. Maybe he'd warm up a sausage and make a sandwich too. And he'd definitely grab a couple of kale cookies- oh! and some sea prunes too...

Hakoda stopped moving. 

Taking a step back, he raised an eyebrow and looked back at a particularly human shaped shadow on the couch. Hakoda walked over to investigate and found a shivering lump curled up as close as possible to the fire's dying warmth. He gently lifted the fur and the young firebender startled, eyes dilated and fearful, hands fisted, sending the embers flaring up. 

Hakoda felt cold grip his heart: this fourth observation confirmed in his mind that this boy had been abused. "Whoa, whoa, easy there, son, you're okay." 

Zuko was straightening himself muzzly. "I'm sorry- I-" then he started coughing violently and slumped back against the couch. 

"You alright, Zuko?"

"I don't feel right."

Hakoda's brows kit together and he placed his wrist on the boy's forehead. "You're burning up." 

"I'm so cold." 

"Can you bend?"

Zuko nodded. 

"Get the fire up a bit, I'll put a few more logs on."

The boy nodded again and did as he was told, coughing throughout. Hakoda fetched the wood and the kettle for tea, arranging them both meticulously around the fire. Zuko was fully awake now, sitting straight-backed curiously watching him. "I'm sorry to burden you, sir." 

"You're no burden at all."

The firebender tilted his head affirmatively. "Thank you, sir." 

Hakoda chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood. "Well we can't send you back to your Uncle sick now can we?" Zuko's shivering only intensified and Hakoda felt a twinge in his paternal heart again. He gently placed a warm hand on the boy's shoulder. "Just relax and rest, I'll get you warmed up."

Zuko rung his hands and blew a breath of flame into his palms before pulling a fur under his chin. "I didn't think the polar winter would actually affect me like this." 

"It's just a chill." 

The poor boy's body racked with another fit of coughing. "Am I going to die?"

Honestly… the thought crossed his mind. Hakoda had heard the old stories about firebenders simply shriveling up after being kept from the sun too long, but he'd chalked those up to residual intolerance for the Fire Nation in general. Yet seeing how Zuko was suffering, he couldn't discount it. "Not on my watch." 

The kettle whistled. Hakoda fetched it and a mug, pouring the steaming liquid over a bed of dried fennel root, mint leaves and honey. The whole scene was reminiscent of the time Sokka fell through the ice during a spring thaw. He and Bato had been far too brazen taking his infant son out for his first fishing trip. The wise and fearless men had screamed, panicked -maybe peed a little- and rushed the little blue ice-Sokka home as quickly as humanly possible. Kya -bless her and her infinite wisdom- had glared at them, pursed her lips together, popped a fist on her hip, started tapping an irritated foot, then stripped them all naked. She wedged Sokka between them and piled every fur they had on top of the trio. He got the tongue lashing of a lifetime after that incident and it was a wonder how his boy had turned out to be a genius… Hakoda was pretty sure Katara was conceived that night while he was begging for forgiveness. Kya was the fiercest woman he had even known. 

Spirits, he missed her.

An insistent whisper of an idea started gnawing in the back of his mind when his thoughts drifted to his beloved late wife. Hakoda immediately tried to push it away. He gave Zuko a mug of tea, but the young bender could barely hold it, shaking the way he was. He found him another fur, but his body still convulsed uncontrollably. The rebellious thought yelled louder in his mind and Hakoda grit his teeth. 

It was crazy...

He couldn't possibly do that...

What would Kya think? 

On que, the kettle on the fire bubbled over and splashed at his feet, melting a hole in the ice floor and sending steam up to the ceiling until it dripped. 

Right in the middle of his forehead.

Hakoda smiled, shaking his head with amusement. "Yes, dear."

"What?" 

He gave the confused boy a pat, "Sit tight, Zuko. I'll be right back." Hakoda quietly crossed the room to the girls bunk and peaked a head in. Both were sleeping soundly and he sighed in resignation. He tapped the lump on the bottom bunk quickly. "Katara. Katara, sweetheart, wake up." 

She groaned and peaked her head out of her cocoon, blinking and rubbing her eyes. "Dad? What is it?"

"I need your help a second."

"What's wrong?" Katara slung her legs out of bed and slipped on her moccasins, keeping a fur snuggly wrapped around her shoulders. 

"Zuko's not doing so good. Come on," He waved her into the main room where the firebender lay miserably. "He's pretty weak and burning up- I think he needs a healer's touch." 

So much like her mother, Katara knit her brow and scurried over to the couch, immediately putting a hand on the firebender's brow. "Dad, can you get a bucket?"

And thus Hakoda witnessed the fifth- and most telling observation of the day.

"Hold still-"

"What are you doing?!"

"Just hold still!"

"I can't breathe-"

"You don't need to breathe." 

"That hurts!"

"Then stop moving!!" 

"I can't-" The wet hacking sound and subsequent spewing that followed would go on to haunt Hakoda's nightmares.

His daughter sat beside Zuko on the couch and started rubbing soothing circles over his back, speaking gently. "Just get it out."

He continued to retch.  

When the firebender began to pant, not wheeze or cough, Katara smiled smugly and crossed her arms. "Better?"

Breathless and exhausted, Zuko's expression softened in the tender way he reserved for Katara. "Better. Thank you."

Katara blushed, almost glowing in the fire light. "Don't mention it."

Hakoda swallowed hard. This was worse than he feared. 

The father quickly cleared his throat, "Well, it's bad form to kill a guest on the Solstice." 

Zuko smiled lightly as Katara giggled. "But watch out on New Year's!" 

That made Hakoda laugh too. "Alright you two, who wants cookies?" 

Katara perked up excitedly, "And milk too please!"

Zuko looked up quizzingly, "Cookies? Right now?"

Hakoda shrugged lightly, "No time like the present. Just... don't tell GranGran."

Though he still didn't look convinced, Zuko didn't protest. Especially when Katara tucked her feet up under her and snuggled closer to him on the couch, spreading the fur she had wrapped around her over them both. "Just stay warm. You're lucky I just learned all about firebending in my healer's anatomy class this semester." 

"What happened to me?" 

Hakoda turned back to them, munching on a length of seal jerky with a tray of late night snacks in hand. "I was wondering about that myself." 

"It has to do with the way firebenders are trained to breathe. In the old days, people thought it was La's curse on Agni for his affair with Tui the Moon Spirit, but Master Yagota explained how firebending can exacerbate a cold or flu because you breathe differently to support your element. There's a form you can do to help called the….the…"

"Breath of Fire?" Zuko supplied.

Katara nodded, "That's the one." 

Zuko took a sip of his tea, "Uncle taught me, I've been using it so I didn't lose my bending in the cold." 

Hakoda smirked, "Neat trick."

Katara hummed thoughtfully, dipping a cookie into her milk. "I bet with GranGran running you ragged this afternoon…" She shrugged meaningfully, letting the hypothesis hang in the air. "You had already caught a chill."

Zuko palmed his face. "She's going to kill me at this rate- but I mean no offence." 

Hakoda laughed heartily, "When at first you don't succeed-"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Just let me talk to GranGran-" she jerked a thumb in Hakoda's direction and feigned a whisper to Zuko. "She likes me better than him." 

Hakoda leaned towards the firebender as well. "It's true."

At this the young man flushed, looking down into the steaming mug in his hands. Zuko didn't understand that the gentle teasing was a show of affection in their family: Hakoda's sixth observation. The ease of the conversation between father and daughter was yet another interaction the boy seemed unfamiliar with. 

It was breaking the father's heart seeing simple acts of kindness looked upon with such open wonder. Zuko had been nothing but helpful, kind and honorable in his brief stay. Even now with Katara cozied up next to the young man, Hakoda felt at ease. His daughter would be respected and safe with him. Hakoda smiled, plopping himself down next to Katara and slung his arm across her shoulders who happily basked in the warmth around her. Absently, he gave Zuko's shoulder a squeeze and patted his back. 

The young man looked at him, then to the girl between them before meeting Hakoda's eye's. "I am really grateful I was invited to join you all."

Katara smirked, nudging him, "Nothing says holidays like a near death experience." 

"No kidding, it's better than what I'd get with my family." Zuko not so sarcastically muttered, averting his eyes warily before continuing. "I've never had a big family holiday like this before. It's nice." 

Katara questioned honestly, "Never?"

He shook his head. "It… it wasn't encouraged."

"That's a shame." It was at that moment, with his daughter between them, Hakoda decided he liked Zuko very much. "You'll always be welcome with us, son." 

The young man's eyes were glassy, too proud or unaccustomed to shedding tears. "Thank you, sir. Really, I'm touched."

Hakoda couldn't stand it a moment more and pulled both Katara and Zuko into a huge platypus-bear hug. "Well you're stuck with us now, my boy!" 

"Dad! You're squishing us!" Katara was gigging and trying to squeeze her way free. 

"Sokka did this exact thing to me yesterday!" Zuko joined his daughter's futile attempts at freedom. 

"Runs in the family!"

"Dad, come on- let go!!" 

"Never!!!"

And for the first time, Hakoda heard a genuine laugh escape from Zuko, joining Katara's. That seventh observation came with the gentle relaxation of the boy's posture, light smile and a single tear quickly wiped away. Hakoda was very glad Sokka had surprised them with this one and quickly amended his previous assessment of the young firebender: Hakoda didn't like Zuko. 

Zuko was family.

Chapter Text

Zuko hadn't slept so well since… Well, he honestly couldn't remember when. 

After the harrowing first night's bout of cooler illness, the trip had been better than he could have imagined. The young firebender felt a warmth in his heart that he thought died with his mother. Sokka's family was everything his family -if you could even call them that- was not. They were loud and joyful, laughter filled the tiny rooms of the igloo. They were open with their affection for one another and he had been pulled into more hugs than he thought possible. Even the Master and Lady of the house would steal kisses like school sweethearts in dark corners of the house when they thought no one was looking. It was no wonder his Uncle had wanted him to come North. Not for the first time he found himself wishing that Iroh had come with him. The Watertribe had a strong sense of community that he was only now coming to appreciate. Zuko hoped that he'd be invited back. The way Hakoda talked, the young man wanted to let himself believe that he was already a part of planning for future events. But by far the best thing was-

"Hey." 

Zuko looked down and smiled in the darkness at his blue-eyed bedmate. He was laying on his back and Katara was on her side, flush against his body with her back to the fire. A trail of drool etched the outline of her lips, sleep crusted her eyes, and her hair was splayed out of her braid wildly in all directions. Zuko had never seen someone so disheveled look so radiant. And he could barely see her in the endless dark. "Hey. Sleep okay?" 

Katara stretched, yawned and rubbed her eyes with a nod. "Uh-huh. Just five more minutes." 

"M'kay." He racked his fingers over her scalp, the physical touch more natural than breathing. And speaking of breathing, the smell of rain that lingered on the waterbender was glorious. How was this even allowed?! Spirits this was bliss. 

"Alright- alright-" Then they were suddenly and rudely relieved of their shared furs as Sokka ripped the bedding off the couch, exposing their completely clothed bodies to the cold. "Break it up. Canoodling time is over."

Katara jerked her head around with a death glare in her brother's direction, "For the last time Sokka- we are not 'canoodling'-"

"I don't want to know!" Sokka waved his arms in the air dismissing any further explanation. "Now shove over- you're hogging the couch." 

Zuko glared at Sokka as well but pushed himself up, taking Katara with him. In the name of warmth, they had camped out on the couch every night since the incident. Katara monitored his breathing and they would fall asleep in front of the fire after chatting over tea. At first he was worried about propriety and that their sleeping arrangement would be scandalized. But the arrangement was actually Hakoda's idea- he said something about the good old days in communal igloos, grumbled something about the ridiculous size of the houses in the North, and suggested everyone stay by the fire in sleeping bags the following night. Zuko and Katara had claimed the couch and simply… continued sleeping together. 

For sleep . 

And warmth. 

He did almost die after all.

In fact the only people who seemed uncomfortable with the arrangement were Pakku- who obviously hated him- and Aang- who obviously had a crush on her . And Katara obviously didn't feel the same way about the airbender. 

Not that it mattered to him or anything. 

She just didn't seem comfortable around the boy. Zuko couldn't figure out why that irked him so much. Katara had saved him from embarrassment, the snow, Sokka's utter abandonment in favor of 'canoodling' with Suki- why shouldn't he look out for Katara's well-being? It just made sense. It didn't have to be weird or mean anything. And it didn't mean anything. She was just being nice. Besides, she was still in High School and WAY out of his league. Just look at her- not a shred of make-up on and flaming eye boogers couldn't hide how gorgeous she was. 

Whoa there, Zuko- she's your best friend's sister. Sokka's little sister. 

Gotta to get up. 

He began to untangle himself from the couch, hearing a groan of dismay from Katara. "Urrg- Sokka." She kicked her feet at her brother. "Can't you go bother someone else?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who decided to sleep in the common room." He reached into his tunic and pulled out a stick of seal jerky. "Besides, I want to get the Love Machine packed up before Dad and I go ice-fishing."

Zuko sneered at the mention of the Van. "Don't call it that." 

Katara sighed, "Fine." Then reached for the nearest fur and began folding it. Zuko decided to help and did the same as she continued. "How long until we need to leave?"

"Twenty-one hours. We'll have time for another sleep." 

It was strange hearing anyone from the Water Tribe talk about the passage of time. Without the sun, time seemed infinite. When he habitually glanced at his phone, Zuko saw it was nearly one o'candle in the afternoon yet everyone in the house was just beginning to rise for the day. It boggled the mind. 

"I'll get the care-packages that GranGran packed for us together while you're fishing."

Sokka pointed at her meaningfully with his meat, "Don't forget the seal jerky."

Katara smiled fondly, "No worries, bro."

"Morning everyone!" Aang was the next to emerge, stretching his arms with a huge yawn. "What's the plan for today?"

Katara smiled at him. "Hey Aang. We were just talking about packing."

He sighed, "Yeah, Gyasto wants to head to the Fire Nation from here." Zuko tried to keep himself from cringing when Aang addressed him. "Do you know any local hot spots we should check out?" Sokka busted up laughing and slapped his knee at the lame excuse for a joke.

Zuko thought for a moment longer than socially acceptable. His experience in his homeland was so different from the average person's. But there was one place he had fond memories of, "Ember Island is nice." 

Sokka elbowed him. "Is that the place with all the wild house parties in the summer? Like on MoveV?"

He shrugged. "It's touristy."

Aang plopped himself down on the floor right in front of him. "Are there dragons on Ember Island? They are on the top of my list." 

"You might see one. But dragons are pretty rare nowadays. You'd have better luck North of the Big Island."

Katara asked next, "Have you ever seen one?"

"I'm not that lucky."

"Zuko, why would you say that?" Katara stopped what she was doing and rested a hand on his knee, sincerely concerned by his comment.

Aang cocked his head. "You mean you grew up in the Fire Nation and never saw a dragon?" 

"Well… it's complicated."

Then -thankfully- Sokka piped up with a friendly clap on his shoulder, "Zuko grew up in the city- and that is the last place I'd be if I was a dragon." 

Aang whizzed up excitedly. "What city? Jang Hui? Shi Jing?"

"Sokka's Friend! Come help me light the stove!"

"Excuse me." Zuko mechanically finished folding his fur feeling the gentle weight of Katara's fingers leave their place on his knee and went to help Lady Kanna. Truth be told, he felt relieved. Divulging too many personal details about himself was dangerous in the best cases. If they knew him, they'd judge him. Or pity him. Or throw him out entirely. And he really wanted these people to like him.

Pakku eyed him from the table over the lip of his paper briefly before resuming his article. Kanna paused her tomato-carrot peeling, quickly checked his forehead with the back of her knife hand's wrist, then pointed the butt to the stove. "Mind you make some tea while you're there." 

Zuko felt a smile tug at his lips. "Yes ma'am"

Kanna's eyes twinkled with her own smile. "Such a polite young man, Iroh raised you well." 

Pakku humphed.

And not for the first time, Zuko wondered just how much these people actually knew about his… history. It could explain Pakku's attitude toward him.

"Good morning Mother dearest." Hakoda emerged and placed a kiss on Kanna's cheak. "Smells great."

Kanna was undeterred from her task at hand. "Sokka says you're fishing today?" 

"We are. Looking to bag us a Tiger Seal." 

"Good. I need some meat to roast. Take my spear."

Katara wandered over with Aang in tow. Zuko was too busy pouring Kanna a cup of tea to notice the way the airbender pressed himself against Katara's side as they slid into the blench at the table. And he was way too busy to listen to whatever they were talking about that had made Katara laugh so musically. And definitely, definitely too busy to care that her hand cupped over his ear to whisper something- 

When he felt Hakoda's gaze on him and glanced to see the Chieftain's eyebrows raised with a sort of conspiratorial knowing expression, Zuko felt his cheeks heat up and he nearly dropped the tea pot.

Hakoda chuckled to himself. "You alright there, Zuko?" 

"Fine, sir." His ear was burning trying to keep the blush off his face. 

"Ouch!" Kanna rapped Sokka's knuckles with a ladle. His friend had materialized from the couch and somehow came up silently beside the prep-island in an attempt to steal a tomato-carrot. "Hey- GranGran, that hurt!" 

"Serves you right." Suki waltzed out from the bedroom with a smile and a kiss on Sokka's cheek.

But Katara was looking at him . And smiling. 

Kanna laughed. "Oh- I knew I liked you, Suki dear." Sokka hugged Suki fierce and kissed her squarely. 

Zuko's heart was pounding and he quickly pulled his eyes away from Katara. 

"Hey Dad?" Thank the Spirits for Sokka. "When we heading out?"

"Right after breakfast." He stood up with a smack on the table. "Pakku, you coming?"

Pakku didn't even look up from his paper. "Certainly not. Gyasto and I have a meeting."

Kanna cleared her throat. "Well, the girls and I are going shopping." Whether Suki or Katara knew this was the direction their day would take did not truly matter, the dowager left no room for negotiations. "Why don't you take the boys?"

"That's a great idea!" Sokka beamed and flexed his muscles. "I need me some manly male bonding." 

Suki and Katara shared an unamused eye roll.

"Aang? Zuko?" Hakoda was suddenly right beside him- Agni, he and Sokka were fast. "Why don't you come fishing with Sokka and I? We'll make a day of it."

Aang snapped his fingers with a show of disappointment. "Shoot, sorry Hakoda. I'm a Vegetarian."

Hakoda cringed distastefully but nodded and shifted his gaze to him. "What about you?" 

Zuko shrugged. "I don't know how much help I'll be, I've never been fishing before." 

"No time like the present." Hakoda smirked and winked at Sokka. "Let's see if Pakku's old waders will fit him. And grab an extra ice pick." 

Zuko glanced one last time toward Katara's ever smiling eyes. By the grace of some benevolent Spirit, she was beaming with excitement that was directed at him . He would have jumped into a volcano at that moment if she asked him to. 

So how bad could fishing be?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay- spill it." 

Katara blinked quickly mid noodle slurp, and put her chopsticks down wiping her chin. "Umm… what?"

Suki's eyes widened in earnest. "Spill it." She looked to where GranGran had disappeared in the street vendors to make sure they were alone. "What's up with you and Zuko?"

"What?!!" All the relaxation from the excursion was completely gone. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come on Katara." 

"I mean it Suki, there's nothing going on."

"Did you tell him that?"

Katara swatted at her friend. "Well, if someone hadn't ditched me the whole holiday-"

" I'm- " Suki interjected with feigned innocence. "Not the one draped all up on top of a guy for the world to see-"

"Pfft- please. You and Sokka were so happy after I moved into the common room. You've been joined at the hip. I haven't even been able to get one word in-"

"So talk to me now." Suki looked at her earnestly. "Look, you guys just met and have been spending a lot of time together -" Katara scoffed, "-and yes, I am partly to blame for that, but I just want to be sure you are okay since…. Well…" 

Katara looked away. She knew exactly what Suki was getting at. She didn't need to say, You know what happened last time, or even mention Jet to get the point across. And it had succeeded in prickling tears at the corners of her eyes. Was she being too naive about her and Zuko's… arrangement? She just wanted to- well, she was only trying to help. And it wasn't like that ! And Sokka trusted him- and Dad liked him too-

"Hey… Katara." Suki gave her hand a squeeze and rubbed a caring rub over her knee. "Maybe, I shouldn't have said anything."

Was she crying? A quick touch to her cheek confirmed it. "It's fine. I just-.... I don't know."

"I know." She pulled Katara into a hug. "And I don't know everything, I just worry." 

"It sucks Suki! It's like- like I can't even be me anymore because everyone's afraid I'll end up in jail again! I don't like that I have to second guess everything I do and think the worst of people and-"

"Stop right there, Katara. The most incredible thing about you is that you have this amazing ability to bring people together, without judging anyone. And you really care about people, Katara. That's a gift. That should never go away. But even you have to admit, in the last week you and Zuko have… gotten close. And the way you guys look at each other-"

"I don't look at Zuko any way ."

There was a pause. 

"Okay…" Suki started slowly. "Then maybe just… set some healthy boundaries?" Katara eyed her skeptically. "People from the Fire Nation don't have the same… sensibilities? as the Water Tribe. Sharing a bed isn't exactly considered a platonic interaction." 

"I know…" It wasn't exactly considered platonic in the Water Tribe either, but Suki didn't need to know that. 

"And look, I just met him too- and he seems nice. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Thanks Suki. I really do appreciate it." 

They spent the next few hours giggling with GranGran, sharing anecdotes and treats, but Katara felt… cold. And not from the snow. Dread had crept into her head and lingered in the back of her mind like a owl-cat. Watching her. Whispering doubt. So by the time they all got back to the igloo, she was a ball of nerves- contemplating faking a headache and quietly excusing herself to the bunk room for their last sleep. But avoiding the problem didn't sit right in her belly. She liked to face her problems head on. But talking to Zuko about the appropriateness of their sleeping arrangement would be admitting that there was a problem- or that they had done something wrong. But it didn't feel wrong to be with him at the time. 

Maybe she was being too naive.

A firm hand rubbed gently across the span of back over her neck between her shoulder blades. "You okay, my girl?"

Katara shook herself and smiled at her Dad. "Yeah. Fine. Just tired. I think I might go to bed early." 

Her father's eyes bore into her, seeing something that she was desperately trying to hide. Slowly Hakoda nodded, "Let's go for a walk."

Katara nodded mutely and followed him out of the main room to grab their boots and parkas and head out into the snow. It was crisp and clear and the celestial lights danced across the sky above them. Katara brought her arms up around her and took a breath of the dark winter air. Her Dad followed her sightlines and threaded his arm around her, pulling her protectively close. For a long time father and daughter just stood together watching the emerald lit sky. 

"I miss Mom." 

Katara felt her Dad's arm tighten briefly around her. "Me too. She loved the celestial lights." Hakoda took a deep breath and nudged her. "You know, Katara, I can guarantee your Mom would be pretty upset if she saw you frowning as much as you have been at dinner."

"I know…"

Hakoda chuckled up at the painted sky, "You're so much like her. And I couldn’t be more proud." He looked down at her with a fondness that made her eyes water despite herself. “SO- how’s school going?”

Katara told him about her grades and essays and friends- caught him up on everything that was happening with college entry exams and the like- things he totally knew from their talks already. But the topics were light and she was glad for it. Her father always had a way to let her know that he was there to listen, without pushing her too fast and provoking her temper. 

It was a good thing. “Are you going to be stationed in Republic City any time soon?”

Hakoda sighed. “I sure hope so. I haven’t gotten my assignment yet.”

Katara didn't hide the bitterness in her tone. “You think you’d have some say by now.”

“Is that what this is about? Believe me Katara, if I had a say we’d all be together-”

“No, Dad- I know. It’s not that.” She sighed heavily. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Do you think I’m- I don't know- too naive?”

Hakoda furrowed his brow. “How so?”

“Like… with people?”

“Hmn,” When an answer didn’t readily come from her father, Katara knew the answer wasn’t in her favor and she braced herself for the worst. “I wouldn’t say that. You’ve had a run of bad luck, but you have the surest heart of anyone I know, my girl. Shame on those who take advantage of the gift that is you.”

“Aw Dad.” They embraced and held each other for a long while. Katara let herself believe him and pushed the spinning torrent of doubts in her head out into the snow. 

“Come on, sweetheart, let’s get inside before we freeze to death.” He slung an arm across her shoulders and whispered loudly. “We’ll sneak that last of that fruit tart Gyasto made.”

Katara was giggling when they got back inside and raised her eyes toward Zuko’s space on the couch. He was looking at her and wore a small smile that reached his eyes. Katara took a breath, put her winter gear away and she found herself automatically moving to join him. Afterall- the space next to him was open and she had long since claimed that spot. She glanced briefly at her Dad, who had made good on his promise of dessert and was shoulder’s deep in the cooler rummaging for goodies. Katara shook her head when predictably her brother meandered over and wedged himself into the cooler as well.

“Everything okay?”

Katara looked up at the boy she had only known for the holiday, genuine concern on his face. There was no lie in him that she could see. And there was nothing that made her doubt his intentions or sincerity. Zuko was different- and she wanted to sit next to him. So she smiled and shook her head. “It’s always hard to say good-bye.”

The firebender dropped his eyes thoughtfully with a nod. “I know what you mean. I really wish Uncle was here.”

“He’ll definitely have to come next year.”

Zuko nodded factionally then added, “I don’t really want to leave. Your family has been so nice to me.”

She cocked her head seeing the sadness and regret flash over his features. When Zuko didn’t look up, Katara nudged him. “I think you’re stuck with us now, firebender.”

Zuko smiled sheepishly and met her eyes. “Thank you Katara.”

Something bloomed in her and the waterbender tucked her legs up under his thigh, cuddling closer into the crook of his side then decidedly resting her head onto his shoulder. “Happy Solstice, Zuko.”

A breath passed between them before Katara felt the gentle pressure of his cheek against the crown of her head. “Happy Solstice, Katara.”

The young benders beamed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hawk-mail Messenger: 

[8:04am- (Z)]: Hello, Zuko here.

[8:04am- Unknown Number]: I know its u firebender

[8:05am- (Z)]: o

[8:05am- (Z)]: it was nice meeting you

[8:07am- Unknown Number]: u2 :)

[8:07am- Unknown Number]: let me know when you gut out of the death trap

[8:10am- (Z)]: I will

[8:10am- Unknown Number]: ttyl! 

[5:23pm- Unknown Number]: Did You guys make it back?

[10:09pm- Unknown Number]: Are you alive???

[1:17am- Unknown Number]: Zuko.

[1:17am- Unknown Number]: Seriously.

[1:17am- Unknown Number]: Sokka won’t answer either  

[1:18am- Unknown Number]: Are you guys dead?!!!

[1:56am- (Z)]: Hey

[1:56am- (Z)]: Sorry

[1:57am- (Z)]: we’re alive

[1:57am- (Z)]: I’ll tell Sokka to message you.

[2:02am- Unknown Number]: Are you ok???

[2:04am- (Z)]: yea

[2:04am- Unknown Number]: Dont ever do that to me again!

[2:05am- (Z)]: what did I do?

[2:05am- Unknown Number]: I was worried about you!

[2:07am- (Z)]: Im sorry

[2:07am- (Z)]: Im not used to people worrying about me

[2:08am- Unknown Number]: Well get used to it!!!

[2:08am- (Z)]: anyone other than uncle

[2:09am- Unknown Number]: Im so glad your ok

[2:10am- (Z)]: i want that van ded.

[2:11am- Unknown Number]: LOL!

[2:11am- Unknown Number]: Get some rest

[2:11am- Unknown Number]: but next time promise you wont leave me hanging like that.

[2:13am- (K)]: OK?

[2:15am- (Z)]: ok. I promise

[2:15am- (K)]: ^_^

[2:15am- (Z)]: Goodnight Katara

[2:16am- (K)]: Sleep sweet Zuko

[7:36am- (Z)]: Morning :)

[8:53am- (K): Good Morning ^_^

Chapter Text

New year's was always the most magical- romantical time of year. But this was the first time Sokka had an actual girlfriend to spend it with. Not that he hadn't had a girlfriend before… Suki was just different. A part of him honestly couldn't believe he had made it past the five-month mark- let alone the five-day mark. He might have made it this far with Yue, but the Spirits took her too soon. "Love 'um and leave 'um" had been his motto since she died. Truth be told, he was afraid to get emotionally attached to anyone else since then. He never could have predicted Suki. She was a bonafide force of nature who had laid his sorry butt out flat when he tried to woo her with a cheap line. 

Sigh… it was love. 

"What's taking so long?" Ever the punctual one, Zuko stood disgruntledly beside him on the platform with his arms crossed.

Sokka looked again at his watch. "The train's behind schedule- should be here any minute now…. Yep. Any minute now." He didn't want to let on how nervous he was for this weekend. Suki somehow managed to get out of practice for the entire holiday weekend and Sokka seized the opportunity. He wired her money for a last minute ticket and would make the absolute most of this stolen rendezvous. And oh did he have plans! Dancing and dining, fireworks and flowers, spas and starlight- the whole shebang! They were going to paint Ba Sing Se red-

"Finally." 

Zuko groaned and Sokka was immediately beside himself. "What? Zuko do you have a mint? How's my breath? Oh man, I should have changed my shirt-" 

"Sokka-"

"Is this chili oil?!" He sniffed the stain, "La- what in the name of Koh is this?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Sokka, calm down." Zuko took hold of his shoulders and shook him. "You look fine. Everything is fine. "

He took a breath and blew it out slowly as the train screeched to a stop. "Right. Thanks buddy."

The doors opened along the platform and people who had been penguin-sardined into the cars spilled out like a flood. The train had obviously been backed up for a while- probably throughout the entire evening rush. This was not good.

Sokka cupped his hand around his mouth hollering over heads. "SUKI!" He waited. "Suki, where are you?!!" 

Zuko tugged him. "Over there!" 

Sokka threw his arms into the air and ran. "Sukiiiiiiii!!!!!"

"Hey Sokka!"

"I missed you so much!" How had he lived without this girl's kiss? His quality of life just erupted into bliss. 

"Hey Zuko. Good to see you again." Sokka kept his arm wrapped around Suki's waist and pressed another kiss onto her temple. 

"Yeah, nice to see you too." 

Zuko was preoccupied looking at something behind them and Sokka glanced back quickly before asking Suki, "You got everything?" 

She lifted her carry-on and gestured to her back pack. "All set. We just need to-"

"This way my dear Suki." Sokka put on his most charming grin and spared not an ounce of gallantry as he dramatically gestured off the platform. "The City awaits." 

"Where's Katara?"

Sokka raised an eyebrow at Zuko's question. "Katara?"

Suki explained easily, "We got separated. There was a family behind us in line with a pregnant woman. They were going to have to split up or wait for the next train so Katara offered her ticket and said she would wait for it. We decided that I should go on ahead because neither one of us had service in the tunnel to message you guys."

Sokka's brain started running over sleeping arrangements… having his little sister stay on his couch was sourly dampening his plans for romance. He had already kicked Zuko out. "Why is Katara here?"

Suki looked confused. "She said she messaged you." 

"She did."

He couldn't put his finger on it…but something about Zuko's strange knowledge regarding his sister's appearance in Ba Sing Se was making Sokka's instincts wildly suspicious of his friend. "How do you know that?" 

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Remember yesterday, when I told you to check your phone and you said, it's just my sister- probably nothing important." 

"I don't sound like that." Suki snickered next to him, hearing Zuko's extremely terrible impression. "Hey, who's side are you on?"

Zuko shook his head. "She scheduled a campus tour this weekend so she and Suki could travel together. Besides, it's New Years. You seriously need to read your Hawk-mail."

Oh, so that's what all the messages he ignored said. But something still didn't add up... "And how do you know all of this? Exactly?" 

Zuko's expression was stoic and flat, but Sokka could see something piecing together behind the firebender's eyes. Why was he hesitating? There had to be more to this. Before Sokka could interrogate him further, Suki playfully shoved his shoulder. "Her train was right behind mine. It shouldn't be too much longer." 

"Why don't you take Suki back to the apartment to unpack? I'll wait for Katara and we'll meet you." 

As much as Sokka would have loved to take Suki home for a bit of privacy, Zuko's suggestion made him extremely suspicious. "I'm sure my sister will want to unpack too."

Zuko's eyes got as big as saucers and his Adam's apple bobbed nervously as he tried to swallow. Sokka had caught him -though caught him with what he still didn't know- but the man was the worst liar in the Four Nations. Sokka's eyes hardened as he scrutinized Zuko. The firebender was starting to sweat and Sokka pointed an accusatory finger at his nose before- 

"I see the train!" Sokka heard Zuko exhale in relief as his attention was drawn to Suki. "See? They're just really backed up. It is New Year's afterall."

She pressed a quick kiss onto his cheek, but Sokka's attention was on Zuko. He was jogging- jogging closer to the incoming train and looking expectantly into the car windows. What had gotten into him? If Sokka didn't know better -and he totally knew better- he would have sworn that Zuko was... looking forward to seeing Katara? Like, maybe even excited to see her? But that was impossible. Completely out of the realm of possibilities- 

Is he waving? And smiling?! No ... Spirits- he is smiling! There was no way that his roommate, confidant, and best buddy in the entire world could ever be this- this-  enthusiastic to see his kid sister. 

The doors on the train opened and Zuko stood with his hands in his back pockets grinning like an idiot as Katara stepped onto the platform beaming. "Hey Katara." Was he blushing?

"Hi Zuko." Was she blushing?!!!!

"You need help with that?"

"No, I got it thanks." His sister adjusted her ratty old leather backpack on one shoulder and flicked an errant piece of hair loopy off her forehead. 

"I'm really glad you came." Well, now Zuko was doing that stupid neck scratching thing he always did when he was nervous. 

"Me too." And Katara was definitely blushing. And now she's hugging him!

................

………………….

They could stop hugging any time now.

Suki broke away from him to greet Katara, "Ugg, next time we're getting Aang to fly us."

"Well, we made it." Katara turned a smile Sokka had never seen before up at Zuko. "Where to?" 

Sokka started playing back the last few days, then the last few weeks, then all the time between Solstice leading up to this heartstopping moment: 

His best friend's hand sliding onto his sister's hip!! 

"Uncle is closing early and wants to treat us all to dinner." 

"Great, I'm starving- Sokka!" Even hearing his girlfriend call him wouldn't make his feet move. "I can't wait for the fireworks tomorrow night." 

Katara clapped excitedly and leaned against Zuko's shoulder. "I've only ever seen them on the MoveV."

Zuko smiled again and his arm snaked completely around her waist. "I know the best view in the City."

"Sokka?" Suki was waving a hand in front of his unblinking eyes and her face twisted with concern. "You okay handsome? You look pale." 

"Yes. Fine." Tight lipped and grinning through clenched teeth, Sokka nodded poignantly at his so-called friend. "Zuko? Old pal, old buddy - Can I talk to you over here ? Won't be a minute ladies."

Katara and Suki shared a look before shrugging and chittering about whatever it was that girls talk about. He yanked Zuko so quickly behind a pillar that his flaming idiot friend actually had the audacity to yelp out a strangled 'Hey!'

"You don't get to talk!" Sokka resumed his accusatory pointing. "What was all…" There were no words that could possibly describe the horrors that he had just witnessed, "... that ?!"

"What?"

Oh he was going to smack him- " What ?!! With the goo-goo eyes and the - the- Agni, Zuko! I'm not blind!! What was all that with my sister??! "

At least the traitor had the good sense to look abashedly down at his feet. "Sokka I-" 

"Aw man-" Guilt was all over Zuko's face- "Seriously??" He nodded minisculely. "Bleeding hog-monkeys Zuko! What in the flaming Spirit World am I supposed to do now?!!" 

"I thought you knew." 

"How could I possibly know?!"

"Well, I called your dad a few days ago to see if it was okay that she came-" 

"Dad knows about this?!!!"

"It wasn't exactly a secret, if you just checked your phone once in a while-"

"Don't turn this around on me!" 

"You'll still have the apartment." Sokka cocked his head. "Uncle has the den all set up-" 

" What ?!!!!!"

"For Katara!"

"I know Zuko- why is she staying with you?!!"

Zuko palmed his face and took a breath to calmly try to proceed. "Katara and I," Sokka snorted in disgust. "We were talking about BSSU the other day and I told her the bending studies are pretty good but I don't know much about their water program, so I suggested touring- well, touring any school really- and she had the idea to come with Suki this weekend so she wouldn't have to travel alone, I asked Uncle if it was okay if she stayed with us and then called Katara with details and we threewayed-"

"WHAT???!!!!!!"

"With your Dad on the phone. Lady Kanna was all for it, but Hakoda had some reservations because you're going to be… entertaining ." 

"Blah- that's why Dad was giving me the beautiful sparrowkeet and the respectful serpent lecture."

"Sooooooo-" Zuko was getting grumpy and obviously wanted to change the subject. "We talked to him and got her a ticket. She'll be staying with Uncle and I, and I'm taking Katara to campus tomorrow morning for her tour. We can all hangout tonight, or not , but you don't have to change your plans- at all ." Zuko crossed his arms and Sokka waited. And blinked. Then squinted at him meaningfully. But Zuko just shrugged, "What?"

"Then what was with all the gross lovey-dovey," He groaned and stuck out his tongue with a shutter. "Touching."

Zuko shrugged. 

"Seriously though." 

"I haven't seen her in a while."

"Zuko." He crossed his arms.

" What Sokka?" 

"Are you dating my sister?" 

"It's complicated." 

"That isn't a 'no'."

His friend's eyes earnestly pleaded with him with such pathetically raw honesty that Sokka's rigid shoulders fell. "I've never… felt like this before. I don't know what it is. This kind of connection is.... I mean we talk all the time and I can tell her things and she really listens to me. And maybe selfishly I invited her here to see if it's all in my head or maybe…" He trailed off looking toward the girls. 

Sokka bowed his head with a groan. "Man, this is a serious breach of the bro-code."

"I know."

"You guys aren't like… you know?" 

Zuko frantically waved his hand in front of himself and shook his head defensively. "It's not like that I swear. This is the first time we've seen each other since Solstice. I know… look Sokka, I know I care about her and I care about what she thinks of me. But I don't know what that means for us ... if anything. I don't want to mess things up and lose what we have."

Sokka lowered his voice seriously. "You and I both know you've struggled to do what's right in the past." 

And so did Zuko. "I won't let anything happen to her."

"You can't promise that." Sokka licked his lips, terrified that it had come to this. "But if you hurt my sister, I will be contractually obligated to kill you, jerkbender." 

Zuko smirked and bowed formally. "I would expect nothing less."

"Are you guys finished yet?" Suki rounded the corner in on them looking quite perturbed. And that was never a good thing. 

Katara crossed her arms with a raised eyebrow eyeing both of them. "What's with the bowing?" 

Zuko answered her quietly, "I'll tell you later." 

Sokka did little to suppress his groan.

"Well I was promised dinner." Suki tugged his elbow with a sly grin. "And I have a surprise for you after." 

Sokka melted into her for a much needed and well deserved smooch. "Then come my fair Suki, tonight we dine!" 

Suki was glowing in the evening sunlight but the tell-tale snide cadence of his sister's voice behind him clued him in to the two traitors snickering behind them at his expense. He tucked Suki under his arm and turned to glare at them. But neither his sister nor his friend were paying any attention. They were walking a pace or so behind them, side by side just looking at each other . The stupid, mushy, sentimental idiots had no idea how incrediblely awesome the person they were looking at was. 

But Sokka knew. 

And he cracked a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm home Uncle."

Too soon- too soon- there was still so much to do! And he hadn't even put the flowers in water yet! Iroh knew better than to rush, but this was an emergency. 

"And Katara's here." The vase crashed to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. "Uncle?!!"

"Everything's fine Nephew!" The urgent shuffle of feet on the floorboards was exactly what Iroh was trying to avoid. "Just a moment!" Where was that broom? 

Zuko rounded into the den, panic written across his face. "What happened?"

"Oh nothing major." Iroh casually began sweeping the shards of glass together with his hand. "Just a small spill." 

"You're going to cut yourself like that." The delicate mocha hand that covered his and stayed any further movement. Iroh looked up amicably and froze. The girl's smile alone could stop a man's heart- by the spirits if he were a younger man this young lady would be all he could think about. "Zuko, where's the broom?"

"Just a second."

"Are you okay?" The girl attached to the hand was truly breath-taking, big bright crystal blue eyes glittered like the stars full of genuine concern. Her hair was neatly plaited with the same beaded loops her grandmother wore framing her heart-shaped face. Her lips favored one side of her cheek and the slightest of dimples creased that corner of her smile. The resemblance to her brother was uncanny, but Iroh never dreamed genetics would be so kind to favor both siblings so generously. "General Iroh?"

He had to shake himself out of his stupor to form a coherent thought. "Yes, fine dear. This is terribly embarrassing-" 

"Accidents happen." The young lady shrugged easily as Zuko rejoined them. "Are there some rags I can grab?" 

Iroh found his compulsive hosting wits hearing that comment, "Nonsense! You let me clean this up, it won't be a minute. Zuko- take Miss Katara to the sunroom and show her the view."

"You're sure you don't need any help?" It was the young lady's musical voice that quirried. 

"No, no- you let me finish up and then we can all get better acquainted. I have been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time."

"So have I." 

Zuko raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, but his nephew's characteristic stoicism had been replaced with a gentle upturn of his lips. "Come on Katara." 

Iroh peered after them and watched the pair tittering to each other awkwardly until Zuko placed a tentative hand on the small of Katara's back to guide her. Iroh was grinning like a madman while he cleaned. No wonder his Nephew was so smitten. Who wouldn't be? By Agni and all things holy- please don't let Zuko mess this up! That Katara had even been allowed to stay with them was a genuine miracle. Kanna's boy was right to question his Nephew's intentions on the phone- if Iroh was her father he'd probably keep her under house arrest until she was at least thirty. Realistically forty. 

"All finished!" Iroh called a bit too loudly as he dumped the ruined vase. No need to interrupt anything too soon. "I'm coming to join you!"

He was almost disappointed when they weren't tangled up in an illicit embrace. But their laughter filled his heart when he entered the sunroom. They were huddled around the window pointing out at the wonders of the Upper Ring outside. Katara beamed a huge smile up at his Nephew. "You can see the palace from here!" 

"Yeah," It had been so long since Iroh had seen Zuko's eyes sparkle. "The lawns are all connected to the grounds, see?" 

"This is incredible! Can we go?" 

Zuko nodded in his direction. "Uncle serves the Earth King sometimes." 

"You do?!" This girl truly had a radiant smile.

Iroh waved to downplay the comment ever so modestly, "Only on special occasions." 

"I hope you can spare some time to make tea for me." 

"Oh! The tea! I left the water boiling."

The trio retreated to the main room. Zuko took a seat on the couch and Katara followed beside him, placing her backpack on the floor, and tucking her legs up under her comfortably. His Nephew decidedly slipped his arm across her shoulders and she rewarded him by snuggling closer. They were both so uncertain with their affections, though clearly relishing their counterparts' nearness. 

How strange it must be to spend so much time nightly bearing your soul to another person with so little physical closeness. Lu Ten had been the exact same way -Spirits rest his soul- and Iroh couldn't understand it. That was decidedly not the old dragon's preferred manner of wooing. In fact, if his Nephew knew how much wooing he still managed in his old age the boy would be scandalized. Zuko did not have the same charismatic charm that he or even Sokka possessed. But seeing the pair so comfortably seated together- still hesitant and awkward- but never once masking their growing fondness, Iroh knew this relationship was something special.

"Thank you for letting me stay with you, General Iroh." Katara nodded over her cup in a proper Fire Nation greeting when he passed it to her. "I hope it's not an imposition?"

And she was polite too! "Not in the least, my dear." He bowed in a relaxed greeting. "It's not everyday that I have the pleasure of a lovely young lady's company." 

Katara quirked a brow mischievously. "My GranGran told me you were quite a charmer." 

"Ah yes, Kanna is a stunning powerhouse of a woman." 

Katara blushed and Zuko groaned. "Uncle."

Iroh sighed dreamily. "Pakku is indeed a lucky man. I have always said, there is no better- nor more beautiful a woman, than that of the Water Tribe."

Katara shook a playful finger in his direction with a lovely pink on her cheeks. "That sounds an awful lot like flattery, General. And my GranGran also said to never trust a flatterer." 

Ooo... and she was quick witted too- Iroh liked that. He glanced at his Nephew to gauge his reaction and smirked knowingly as Zuko pressed her just a bit closer, his expression a tender haze of warmth and longing. "I never say anything that isn't true. And you are a breath of fresh air, Miss Katara." 

"Thank you." Katara bowed her head politely and took a sip of her tea. "Wow, this is so flavorful."

That made him smile. "It is my signature Jasmine blend. Zuko mentioned you enjoyed jasmine tea." 

"Did he?" Katara peeked devilishly out of the corner of her eye while Zuko attempted to hide his blushing grin in his tea cup. 

"Oh yes- and that you also have a fondness for chili-choco with sweet cream. So, I've been experimenting with a new spiced choco dessert blend that I hope is to your liking."

"That is so thoughtful, General." The young lady looked sheepishly down at her lap and leaned her brow affectionately into his Nephew's shoulder. Zuko responded in kind, turning his nose to her hair to rest a contented smile against her forehead.

Trying to keep the rapture in his old heart from erupting out was going to give him an ulcer. 

Iroh clapped his hands together. "Now, you must be hungry."

"Starved!"

And she had an appetite… Now it would really be something if she could cook too. "Splendid! Take a moment to freshen up and we will head out." 

Zuko chimed in, "We have a little time, Sokka told us to meet by Imperial Gate 3 at half past seven o'candle." 

"Do you think I have time for a quick shower?"

Heat rose into Zuko's cheeks so Iroh interjected himself, "Of course, my dear. It's just through there on the left."

"Okay. Thank you again." Katara bit her lip with a nervous grin at Zuko. "I'll make it quick."

"Do you need anything?" His Nephew looked so refreshingly young when he was unsure of himself.

"Umm… are there towels?" 

"Yeah." Zuko paused. "On the rack." 

….. Well this was awkward. Iroh cleared his throat. "Take you time, dear."

The pair both stood up, Katara grabbed her bag, waved quickly and disappeared. Zuko's hand rose instinctively to wave back, but she was already gone. 

Iroh was on him like a buzzard-wasp on carrion. 

"Uncle- what are you… hey!" His collar was crooked, his shirt was untucked- and for that matter why this shirt? It did absolutely nothing for the boy. His hair wasn't combed, he needed a mint, and cologne - the boy was a mess. "Uncle Stop!!"

Iroh crossed his arms indignantly. "Honestly Zuko, this is how you dress to impress a lady?" 

"Uncle," his tone was a strained whisper in urgent secrecy, "I'm fine ."

"That girl is worth a little more effort-" 

"Katara likes me for who I am-" 

"And who you are needs to go put on a fresh shirt." 

"Uncle." 

"And that nice jacket I bought you for Solstice." 

" Uncle ."

"I am just saying, Zuko, when things are new it is a good idea to put your best foot forward."

Zuko crossed his arms with a huff. "I don't believe this." 

Iroh sat next to him to speak more earnestly. "Zuko, this girl is special. Surely you will concede that?" 

"I know she is..." Iroh let his Nephew collect his thoughts as Zuko racked a hand through his hair. "Agni Uncle, this scares me out of my mind."

Iroh placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to overthink it, Nephew. She already likes the person you are on the inside. Let your beautiful heart be reflected on the outside." Zuko was quiet. "You don't need to hide yourself from this girl." 

For the first time Zuko looked down at the holely jeans he lived in and the same plain long-sleeved grey crew neck under the threadbare black bomber he had worn that day. "But Uncle, you've always told me that if someone really cares for you, it won't matter what you look like." 

Zuko's fingers grazed his scar and Iroh knew he had to tread lightly with his next words. "And that is still absolutely true. If someone truly cares for you it doesn't matter. She has seen you vomit and she is here-”

“Uncle.”

“But I tell you Nephew, this is a special moment. We are going to take the young lady out tonight. She has come a long way to see you-" 

"She's here for a college tour." 

"Like I said- Katara is here to see you. Dressing for the occasion is not hiding your true self. It shows that you appreciate her time and want to make the most of what little you have together." Zuko was silent, quietly contemplating his words. Iroh added with a smile, "The care and love you give yourself, must come first so that you can properly demonstrate love to another." 

Zuko nodded and opened his mouth to speak but the words died on his tongue with the sound of the bathroom door. Iroh followed his gaze and his eyes widened. If the girl was beautiful before, she was ethereal now. She had undone her braid, letting her thick waves loose over her shoulders, dressed simply in a dark brown pair of leggings with a purple form fitting wrapped top and a long grey cardigan. With her backpack in one arm, a navy peacoat in the other, and a polished blue pendant adorning her neck- Katara made the casual outfit look elegant. 

The boy scrambled to his feet when the girl's attention landed on him playfully. "Is it safe to put my bag in the den?" 

Iroh couldn't help but laugh. "Oh my yes! Go right ahead." 

"I'll um…" Zuko sputtered with a thumb in the direction of his room, "Just grab a jacket."

He retreated like a feral animal and Iroh grimaced. Even Katara raised an eyebrow, "Is he okay?" 

"Zuko is fine," Iroh assured her, but a disconcerting thump from the bedroom signaled otherwise. "He's merely excited to have a night off work." 

Katara giggled and whisked into the den calling over her shoulder. "Are you excited for the new year, General?" 

His nephew's door flung open, and Zuko tumbled out across the hall fixing his newly tailored wine-colored waxed canvas jacket over a fresh white flannel button up. He heard the sink turned on and Iroh's cheeks ached from smiling. 

"Yes my dear. I am very excited."

Chapter Text

If there was one thing that Katara was absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt sure of this evening- It was that her brother was not having a good time. Oh- he had tried to put on a brave face early on, but in reality Sokka was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

And perhaps in retrospect Katara could have predicted the way their evening would end up. 

First- the restaurant Sokka had chosen was closed for "unforeseen renovations." It looked like an Earthbending brawl had broken out because the place was completely leveled... A bad omen. So in her own gently placating way, Katara suggested they explore a bit and see if anything caught their interest. Iroh had gone on to make a suggestion to head into the Middle Ring Dining District and all rejoiced. Great- Sokka calmed down and hooked an arm through Suki's- a minor setback.

Next- they found a place that was popular with the college set, simply named The Middle Ring Restaurant and were able to get a table for the five of them. In his desperately endearing way of trying to impress Suki, Sokka ordered a round of Cactus Juice Cocktails for everyone- well everyone except her. It really sucked being considered a legal adult but still in secondary school and not able to drink. Sokka was talking a big game but Katara knew better. On their empty stomachs, the drinks went down far too smooth and straight to their heads. Suki and Zuko were snorting, giggling messes. Sokka was jealously slobbering kisses onto Suki, which she quickly dismissed, only making his desperation to impress her more urgent. So her brother- and strangely Iroh- were on their third drink before anyone had a chance to look at the menu. Both were gone. Katara quietly switched both men's drinks to water and told the server to cut them off. She just hoped there was some sort of car service to get home. Again- crisis averted.  

But then- After ordering drinks, the maitre'd started moving tables together next to them in anticipation of a large party. Granted that's no one's first choice for dining neighbors; but when the group turned out to be a stuffy girls-only haiku sorority that Sokka had infiltrated his first year and subsequently hooked up with about 80% of... it was awkward to say the least. The girls all started talking pointedly at their table, making up terribly embarrassing poems about his ill-conceived chauvinistic escapades- and one particularly unflattering poem aimed as a warning to Suki- and her poor brother was humiliated. 

Now- Sokka was a lot of things -formerly misogynistic hogmonkey, yes, this was known- but no one -and Katara meant no one- had the right to talk to anyone like that- especially her brother. So Katara's temper was ignited and she could even admit that was probably going to end poorly. When the sorority's tea was served, Katara froze it in their cups and waited until the confused girls tried to figure out what happened to unfreeze the liquid and shot it back in their faces. Seeing as there were two distinctly Water Tribe descendants at the table where their malice was aimed, the war was on. At least one of them was an earthbender, because they retaliated. When the soup course was finally served all the clay bowls shattered, spilling hot soup into all five of their laps. 

Katara leapt up and- again, not her most brilliant idea- pulled the soup out of their clothes and threw it back into the girls' smug faces. Zuko grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back into her wits and out of her righteous fury, but the damage was already done. The manager asked them to leave immediately. Iroh plopped a bag of coin on the table without argument and they shuffled out of the restaurant with their tails between their legs, all hungry with a very drunk Sokka. 

And that brought them to the current situation; Suki patting his back while Sokka doubled over a fountain, vomiting up the cheap street noodles they got from a skeezy vendor who had openly ogled Katara's chest. She couldn't understand why Suki put up with this kind of behavior, and this wasn't the first time she had nursed Sokka back from the drink.

"You're so beautiful." 

Suki gave him a pat. "Thank you Sokka."

"We should get married." 

"Not if you act like this." 

Sokka grabbed her face tenderly, tears staining his cheeks. "I just love you so much!!"

"I know Sokka, but right now you need to drink some water." Katara passed Suki the canteen from her purse with a sigh. As always, she was the one who was prepared. 

"Do you still love me?"

"Let's talk about this later."

Zuko appeared at her side looking over his shoulder warily, "Uncle got a car. Let's get him out of here." 

Katara followed his eyeline to where there was a cluster of men dressed in long green robes and large cone shaped hats watching them. "Who are those guys?"

His voice was low and for her ear only. "Dai Li peacekeepers. They're ten times as corrupt as Republic City Police. Earthbenders too."

Katara glanced at the stoic figures with their hands tucked neatly behind their backs just watching them. It was time to go. "Come on Sokka." 

"You're not the boss of me!" 

Zuko growled, hoisted him up grumbling, "Every flaming time-" and dragged Sokka to the car.

Suki sighed next to her, "I know he doesn't have a real problem but this… this might be a deal breaker." 

"Yeah…" It hurt a bit to hear Suki confide so candidly about breaking up with her brother, but what could Katara say? It wasn't the first time Sokka had done this. Suki wanted a partner, not someone she had to take care of. And unless he shaped up, Sokka was going to lose someone he really cared about. Iroh waved them over and helped Zuko fold Sokka's limbs into the back seat. He was already snoring and it would be impossible to wake him up.

Suki followed, "Thanks Zuko."

"No problem."

With the brightest saving-face kind of smile, Suki waved in Katara's direction. "See you guys tomorrow!" 

"Meter's running buddy!" The cab driver called. 

Iroh hustled to the front seat calling back to her and Zuko, "I'll meet you two back at the apartment after I get them settled. There is ice-cream in the cooler! I'll be back as soon as I can!" 

It suddenly felt like bumble-flies were flutter-buzzing around her stomach. This was the first time she and Zuko had been completely alone together since she arrived- something she had been seriously looking forward to. But now that Katara was standing on the curb watching Zuko slowly approach her, obviously unsure what to do with his hands and ultimately deciding on his back pockets, she was getting inordinately nervous. She fidgeted trying to cross her forearms- was it right or left or left over right that brought out her best side? Oh did it matter he was right in front of her-

"Are you cold?"

She dropped her arms, fisting her hands twice with a light shake of the head. "No, I'm fine."

He nodded and scratched the back of his neck. "I hope you don't mind walking?"

The innocence in Zuko's expression made Katara feel bold and she crossed her arms again with a playful grin. "Are you sure that was a question?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Come on," and took her hand, "I want to show you something." 

Katara beamed and gave their laced fingers a gentle squeeze. "Okay."

And just like that, the tension eased. They chatted about nothing and everything- exactly as they had been doing for weeks now. Zuko was finishing prerequisites and struggling through a calculus class that he should have dropped at the start of the semester. But he was pleasantly surprised to discover that he really enjoyed sociology. His bending courses were in the morning daily and he was doing a unit that dealt with fire healing.

"I kind of got the idea from you." 

Katara was grateful the darkness hid her blush. "Really?" 

"Yeah," His voice wavered nervously and Zuko cleared his throat. "After the whole incident at Solstice, I thought it might be something to look into." 

Katara realized he was blushing too. "Are you liking it?"

Zuko shrugged, "It's different from anything I'm used to. The professor is a visiting shaman from Sun Island. There's a ton of meditation. And the practice dummies look like something out of a trauma ward." 

That made her laugh. "Well maybe you can give me some pointers." 

He smirked with feigned indignation. "Yeah right- when flying boars swim."

They both giggled and Katara realized they were passing through one of the Upper Ring gates. "How do you even know where you are? The City is huge!" 

"It's a big circle, and the main avenues are marked. You'll get it if you decide on BSSU. Just remember, the closer you are to the center the smaller the rings."

Katara nodded thoughtfully, turning her gaze to the path ahead of her. She wasn't ready to see his response when she questioned, "And if I don't choose BSSU?"

"You'll learn whatever city." He didn't hesitate in his answer so she peaked nervously up at him. "And maybe I can come visit you." 

"I'd like that." It was a cool late winter night, but Katara was warming. She wondered idly if it had anything to do with the firebender next to her, because something told her the feeling was mutual. "So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. And it's not far." 

The feel of his hand in hers, his words and playfulness of his tone should have excited her, but a dreadful bout of dejavu harkened in the back of her mind. Katara tried to shake it away, but the clawing thought of her Ex's surprises lingered and threatened to spoil her night. She had to remember there was no deception in Zuko… but she had been fooled before.

"Look."

Katara followed to where Zuko pointed and her face lit up. "Oh wow…" They were standing right in front of the palace, but the lights that sparked all over it were magical. Greens and blues glowed almost like the celestial lights back home. The entire structure was decorated for the holiday and fit for a king. 

"Earthbenders actually insert glowing gems into the walls from catacombs below the city. And only for New Year's. It's supposed to represent people coming together." 

"It's amazing." Zuko had stopped their stroll near one of the many benches and offered her a seat. Katara accepted and felt his arm drape across her shoulders. "Could you imagine growing up in a place like that?" 

Zuko laughter mirthlessly to himself. "Yeah, unfortunately." 

Katara elbowed him playfully. "I mean it. It's probably bigger than all the villages in the South Pole combined." 

"At least your family spends time together. In a place like that you'd have to schedule meals with your brother or you'd never find him." 

She giggled at that. "Is this where we'll watch the Fireworks tomorrow?"

"Nah, the palace will be swarming with people." His eyes were glimmering with the reflection of moonlight. "You'll like where we're going."

"Another surprise?"

Zuko shrugged, pressing her closer to him. "Sure." 

And there was that horrible brick of dread in her stomach again. It wouldn't be bad with Zuko, right? With a resigned sigh she pushed out from under his arm. "Zuko, I need to be honest with you." 

His gaze was so intense she could have sworn there was fire in his eyes. "Okay. Did I do something wrong?" 

"No nothing like that. It's just that I…" Katara worried her lip and scratched her forearm trying to put into words her deepest regret. "It's just that surprises make me uncomfortable." 

Zuko exhaled and looked positively relieved. "Oh that's good." 

"It is?" 

"Yeah. I'm no good with surprises. But... I guess…" His cheeks pinked. "I was trying to impress you."

Katara smiled and placed a hand on his knee. "I appreciate it. That's why I wanted to tell you." 

He smiled gently and let one of his hands cover hers. "Does a picnic in the Agrarian Zone sound alright? We can invite Sokka and Suki if you want. It's really the best view in the City." 

Katara felt a weight lift and had to push back the sting of unexpected tears. "That sounds perfect." 

"I'm glad." Zuko sighed again. "Since we're being honest, I don't like surprises either because it's really hard for me to trust people."

It was like a cold fist suddenly punched her in the gut. "What do you mean?"

He tapped his thumb on her wrist, took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. "Things tend to blow up in my face. A lot. Usually because someone in my family is using me to get something they want. Not Uncle, he's different. But I have a… complicated past." 

For all their talking, Zuko tended to avoid questions about his family. "I'd like to hear if you want to share?"

"I want to. But-" he gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm afraid if I open myself up like that... you might not like what you see. Or you might use me too." Katara gave his knee a squeeze of encouragement. "Sokka is the first person that has stuck around and really seems to actually care about me. Then I met your family and you…. I don't want to ruin- no," he shook his head with a pause, rephrasing as if someone in his head was telling him the words. "I'm afraid to lose all that. And a part of me anticipates being abandoned or betrayed by people I care about."

Katara's shoulders slumped, "I know the feeling." 

Zuko almost looked incredulous, "What?"

"This whole time… with you… I've been waiting for you to- well, for you to hurt me or something." 

"Because of that Jet guy?" 

That stung. "Yes, but more than that. I lost Mom in a home invasion so feeling safe is something I've struggled with. And Dad was never home- I mean, I know he loves me and we had GranGran- and I know why he has to leave but I got so angry and sad and hurt. And I hated feeling like that. But then Sokka got a bunch of scholarships and I got scared that I'd get left behind again..." She waited a moment before crossing her arms protectively around her. "What do you know about Jet?" 

"That your brother hates him and hopes Koh steals his face and casts him into the Fog of Lost Souls." 

"I should have listened to Sokka." 

"He's crazy, but for all his quirks Sokka is an incredible judge of character. I don't know what he sees in me." Katara made an affirmative sound and shifted away from Zuko. She wanted to hide from the man next to her, because she didn't feel worthy of his attention. She was such a fool for thinking that maybe this would work. Zuko was Sokka's friend- and another older guy with a dangerous air. How could she be so naïve after all that had happened- "Hey-" then she was being pulled into an embrace, wetness on her cheeks that she hadn't realized was there wetting into the collar of Zuko's shirt. "Hey, hey- it's okay." 

He held her as she sniveled inelegantly against his chest. "I'm sorry- this isn't how I wanted things to go-"

"Please don't apologize." He let the quiet of the night lull them both into calm before he spoke again. "Katara, I've done so many things I'm not proud of for the sake of other people. I swear I will never judge you for choices that… didn't pan out the way you planned." 

Katara felt a laugh despite herself, pulling herself away from his warm to wipe her eyes. "It's not like you have a police record because of your choices." 

Zuko was unflinching. "Three arrests and one conviction."

Katara's head spun to meet his eyes. With the most miniscule nod, Zuko answered the questions that must have been plastered on her expression. "Wow. We really do have a lot in common, don't we?"

Zuko shook his head. "I hope it's not a bad thing." 

Katara smiled, tenderly drawing his eyes back to hers. "No it's not." 

Zuko smiled too. "So… what were you charged with?" 

She fiddled with her mother's necklace a moment before answering. "It was mostly from when I dated Jet…" She met his eyes nervously and Zuko nodded her on with encouraging non-judgmental eyes. "Malicious use of ballistic bending, Eco terrorism, property damage and conspiracy to commit involuntary manslaughter." 

"Eco terrorism?"

" That's what you got from that?!"

"What? It's surprising." 

"Zuko!"

"What?!" And then she was busting up in a fit of giggles. Katara could barely keep from snorting; she was laughing so hard. Her head lulled forward and convulsed against Zuko's shoulder as she laughed. The poor firebender could only lean into her hair with a smile in his voice. "What?" 

She pulled back and wrapped her arms around his neck scooting closer to him on the bench. "Only you would get hung up on eco terrorism of all things." 

He brought his arms up around her middle. "I think it was on the bottom of my list of possible guesses for you."

Katara hummed and they held each other, nose to nose, brow to brow. After an eternal minute, she dared to whisper. "What about you?"

She could feel Zuko flinch but he didn't pull away. "I've been arrested for aggravated bending, property damage, trespassing, assault with deadly firepower and hate crimes against minorities." 

Katara poignantly brushed her tanned hand over his pale scared cheek and Zuko closed his eyes. Hate crimes just didn't fit with the gentleness this man emanated. "And what were you convicted of?" 

He sounded pained, a strangled sound emanating from his throat before choking out the answer. "Felony Arson. I burned an entire Earth Kingdom village down. Thank Agni no one was hurt." 

Katara nodded and shifted to lay her head onto his shoulder. "For your family?"

"For my Dad. For as long as I can remember I was groomed to be his… weapon. My sister and me. I wanted to make him proud so badly, but I lost myself in the process. I thought maybe he would care about me if I did one more job- just one more thing, you know? It would prove that I was worthy of honor and love. But he's completely sociopathic so any so-called love he showed me was just a way to control me."

Katara let a thoughtful silence pass before asking. "Where's your sister now?" 

"Still under his influence. My Mom got out because she went into the witness protection program when I was ten." 

"Without you?" 

Zuko swallowed. "I know it sounds bad, and my therapist says I shouldn't make excuses for her abandonment, but I don't think she could have taken us with her even if she wanted to."

"I'm sure the courts would have ruled in her favor."

Zuko raised an amused eyebrow. "Not when your Dad has the judges in his pocket." The firebender hesitated a moment before continuing. "Have you… have you ever heard of the Ozai Society?" Katara nodded absently. "He's my Dad." 

The admission did not compute. "Wait- the Radical Fire Nation Nationalist Group?" Zuko nodded gravely. "The Phoenix King?" He nodded again. "That's your dad?" And again. "The person who wants to wipe out anyone who's not from the Fire Nation off the planet?" Zuko looked away and suddenly so many conversations and interactions between them began to make sense. "Does Sokka know about this?" 

"Yeah he does." Katara nodded and was quiet again. Zuko was right, Sokka was a good judge of character and it seemed strange that he would be okay with the attention his friend gave her if he was truly a dangerous person. The firebender in her arms was rigid, tension had returned to his whole body. She willed herself to stay where she was, their proximity supporting the telling of his tale. "I'm not that person anymore- the person he wanted me to be. Lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if it means I never go back to Caldera. I don't expect to ever deserve the grace your family has shown me for my past... all I know is that if this is where our um- relationship? ends, I want you to know that I do really care for you, Katara. I only wish I could be better for you, I really do."

Katara brushed an errant strand of hair out of his eyes. "I thought you said you changed?"

The intensity of his gaze gave her chills. "I have changed."

Katara met he's eyes seriously. "You're not your father Zuko." 

"No, but I… I've been through a lot in the last few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I chose to do those things, and I haven't been a very good person. But I also have the power to change by choosing to do what is right."

There was a long silence, the world around them seemed to be holding its breath. Katara studied his features, allowing her eyes to linger on the scar that spanned over his left eye and ear. It had been all over the papers. Billionaire Mutilates Teen Son. She'd only been ten or eleven at the time but Katara remembered it clearly because her dad had quite a few choice words to say about any man who would lay a hand on a child. It started out as a high-profile highly-publicized case, but then suddenly vanished. Coverage was pulled from every major news source and quietly dismissed from the public eye. She didn't even know if Ozai was ever brought to justice or what- but she did know that the boy now turned man was currently looking up at her with dejected hope, afraid to move. 

Looking at Zuko now was like seeing him for the first time. This was a lot to unpack, but the earnest admission of his questionable past was something Katara couldn't ignore. Zuko physically wore his hurt on his face. Would she have been any better? She had a stable home with people who loved her and made an effort to work through problems- even then she had rebelled. She understood him. And maybe that was enough.

"Can we… I mean- can we see where things go? Between us ?" 

The rapture on his face was something Katara would commit to memory. "Spirits- a thousand times yes!" Zuko pulled her brow to his and was near giggling with elation. "I've never felt like this before."

"Neither have I." 

She couldn't be sure who initiated it, but the kiss was soft and every bit as electrifying as a storm. It was so different from any other kiss she had experienced- not forced or unwanted- it was insistent and chaste at the same time. Tender in a way she could never have imagined yet burning with desire- Desire for her. This kiss was for her. 

When they parted, the benders kept their lips close breathing the same breath. Zuko lightly traced the tip of her nose with his own, his lips hesitating to close over hers a second time. Katara took it upon herself to initiate the second kiss, drawing him closer with a cup of the cheek. One of Zuko's hands tangled into her hair and deepened the kiss, his tongue begging for access to her mouth. She obliged him, moaning with an encouraging lilt, letting their tongues dance and taste and explore. He echoed her and it was dizzying how perfectly they melded together- overwhelming, but completely in tune with each other. 

Could kissing be really this good? Was it possible that the simple act of pressing one's mouth to another felt so completely fulfilling and physically satisfying? If she could live in this moment, Katara would die happy. She ached to be nearer to Zuko, yet her heart soared with contentment. This was special. This was the kind of feeling that only came once in a lifetime; she knew it in her soul. 

Just as she was starting to lose herself in his kiss, Zuko pulled away. "So much for our New Year's kiss."

Katara giggled, nuzzling his brow. "That's so corny. I bet you'd give me a seashell at the beach too."

"Hey-" so feigned seriousness. "I've only done that one time." 

Katara kissed the tip of his nose. "This is so much better."

"Yeah it is." Zuko let a lingering kiss draw the breath out of her, she followed his lips yet he pulled away. "Katara- I don't want this to be a one night thing." 

"Neither do I." She leaned in for another kiss, but Zuko pulled away again. "What's wrong?"

His eyes were closed again before meeting hers. "You're in Secondary School."

Oh yeah. She took a breath. "Does that matter to you?"

"Yes and no." Zuko kissed her cheek. "We're both technically adults. But I want you to make your own decisions. I don't want you to choose Ba Sing Se because you'll be closer to me. I swear I'm not going anywhere. I just…" 

Katara shivered. He would surrender control to her and it made her feel weak in the most powerful of ways. She kissed Zuko's brow and nuzzled into his hair. "Can we go home?" 

Zuko's eyes got as big as saucers. "You want to go... home?" 

She nodded with a blush. "Maybe we could have that ice cream and watch a Mover? I'm not really ready for...um... more ."

"Good." Zuko kissed her cheek quickly and smirked. "I don't want to rush things either." 

Katara's heart fluttered but doubt still nagged at her. "But what if you find someone else or want to hook up-"

"I'm not that guy."

Katara rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid, Zuko. You're in college. And have you met my brother?"

He met her eyes. "Seriously, I'm not like that. I need… I mean, I can't…" Katara nuzzled him, giving Zuko a renewed sense of purpose. "I tried the causal thing my first year and figured out I'm not a casual kind of guy. When I meet someone, it hurts when they… if they aren't committed the way I am." He swallowed hard. "You'd tell me if you met someone right?" 

"I'm not going anywhere either, Zuko." Katara had never been more sure of anything in her life. "I don't know where life is going to take either of us, but I know I want you in mine. Whatever that turns out to be." 

The brightness in his eyes was like the sun itself. "Yeah?" 

"Yeah." 

Zuko pulled her up and swung her in an embrace. Katara felt giddy with the newness of their official romance. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. And she already knew she would never get enough of him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had taken Iroh much more time than he would have liked to get Sokka situated. And poor Suki's brave façade had crumbled when they were alone in the car so he had to deal with the young lady's sadly warranted fears as well. He hoped for both of those young people's sakes they could hash out their grievances and move forward. One would only know in time.

And speaking of time... Iroh was currently running extremely late and had left an unchaperoned Katara with his nephew.  It was well past curfew and probably nearing dawn as it was. Not that he didn't think Zuko wouldn't be a perfect gentleman in this matter, but temptation was the downfall of many- himself included. And that girl was a temptation if he had ever seen one. Hakoda had entrusted her care to him which wasn't something Iroh took lightly. 

And he did not particularly want to deal with the wrath of Kanna. 

The thought made him involuntarily shiver.

He fished for his keys before the Jasmine Dragon was even in sight, took the stairs up two at a time and burst through the door with as much controlled panic as he could muster. Everything was dark. He quickly peeled off and peeked into Zuko's room. 

Nothing.

Then made his way through the kitchen to the living room. 

Nothing.

A sound pricked his ears from the den and he could see the movement of light from the MoveV. He expected the worst at that point- tangled limbs and discarded clothing. But as he rounded the corner, his heart beating wildly in his chest- 

Iroh stopped.

And smiled. 

The futon was still neatly folded in the corner, the screen displaying the home menu of some long ended Mover, and two sleeping benders squeezed together in his oversized arm-chair fast asleep. 

And mercifully fully clothed. 

Iroh pulled a comforter over them, shut the MoveV off, and absently cleared away two bowls. They were cuddled together under a woolen throw blanket, Katara tucked under Zuko's chin drooling on his collar bone while Zuko's arms encircled her protectively. For the life of him, Iroh could not recall a time that his Nephew had slept so peacefully or so soundly. Iroh left them quietly and went directly to his meditation room to light the incense in his home shrine. 

Spirits be praised.

Chapter Text

To my wonderful readers-

First and foremost, thank you for your support and patience in what was probably the worst year on record- yes, I think 2023 beat out 2020 LOL. I was lurking around and realized that there hasn't been an update from me on any of my works in over a year. And believe me, it will never be my intention of abandoned my works or you readers.

2023 was marked with 5 family losses (grandma, grandpa, fur baby, aunt, mother-in-law), a global relocation for my brother/sisterinlaw/nephew, and a personal medical loss for my partner and I that all started April of last year. I am finally- FINALLY, possessing each of the traumas. I feel ready to rejoin the social and online world. On a happy side note, we have adopted a new one-eyed furbaby who has helped my partner and I rehabilitate our family.

It has been very difficult and I cannot thank you all enough for your patience. I am writing and finding joy in the things that I love again. That said, you will be seening updates soon. Not today, unfortunately, but very soon.

The Zutara community has always been so supportive of their content creators. I thank you all for sticking around and sending PM messages and commenting. I am so grateful for your support and kindness!

Happy Spring to you all! The year is looking bright ^_^

-Z