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Chapter Text

Azula was bored. She was so incredibly bored. The clock ticked mindlessly away as she stared at the pages of her textbook, desperately willing herself to absorb some of the information before her. It was useless. It was completely and entirely useless, and there was nothing in the world that could help. She brimmed with rage that she had no outlet for. To make matters worse, she was parched. The heat of the summer had left her mouth dry enough that she wouldn’t have been shocked if cacti took root on her tongue. She licked her lips, irritated. There was nothing she could do. Once upon a time she had had everything, and now she couldn’t even fetch herself a glass of water.

The door to her bedroom swung open, and her uncle’s smiling face confronted her. “What do you want?” The words came out less snappy than she had intended, and instead betrayed the degree of exhaustion that had overcome her in her boredom and frustration.

“I was just checking in on you. I made you tea. How are you holding up?” He took an unsolicited seat on Azula’s bed. If she had the energy, in that moment she would have let loose her frustrations on him. How dare he walk in here like nothing was wrong? How dare he treat her like anyone else when everything was so different? Tears reluctantly welled up in her eyes and it took a great degree of strength to keep them from spilling out. “Oh, Azula.” His voice retained that ridiculous and cheerful reassurance she so loathed. “Talk to me.”

“There is nothing I wish to talk to you about.” She said, matter of factly. Once again, her words lacked the usual scathing quality that most around her had come to fear. She felt weak, and it showed in her voice alone. “I’m just frustrated, that’s all. I’m frustrated by my school work. I’m frustrated by this stupid textbook. I’m frustrated by the fact that I can’t fucking move!” There was the usual heat of anger. It returned to her full force, and before she knew what she was saying, her voice had raised to yelling. “I’m frustrated by you acting like nothing happened! I’m frustrated by you! I’m frustrated by Zuko! I’m frustrated by the people who look at me like I’m a wounded puppy! I hate it all!” She cut herself short, suddenly aware that this could be misconstrued as a momentary display of vulnerability, rather than the detached anger it obviously was. 

Throughout the outburst, Iroh merely sat back and listened. He seemed to take it all without returning any of the frustration she expressed, and this only caused her anger to mature rapidly into seething resentment. Before she could start yelling again, he raised a hand slowly to stop her. Despite her instinctual reaction to continue regardless, she stopped herself from unleashing her anger on him. 

“I understand how frustrating it must be. I know how difficult this is for you.” She felt her teeth grinding in rage at how condescending he was obviously being. “That doesn’t mean I’m okay with you talking to me like that. I’m not trying to act like nothing happened, but I am trying to treat you the same way that I always treated you. If you need some more space, let me know.”

“You-” Azula suddenly stopped herself. She realised what she was doing. This man had been there for her when nobody else had. This man had taken care of her all these months. This man had loved her far more than her own father ever had. She felt her eyes wet with tears again, and took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. The breathing exercises they recommended for calming emotions were more useful than she liked to admit, and soon any traces of the anger had fizzled out. “I’m sorry, uncle. It’s not you.”

Iroh’s wrinkled face lit up with a bright smile and the relief practically emanated from him. “Of course. I understand. Now, is there anything you need?”

“Water would be nice.” She said carefully. “And tea sounds great. Thank you.”

He nodded, smiling as he left, humming some kind of melody under his breath.

***

Katara woke up early and ate breakfast. The sun was already high in the sky before she got herself dressed and organised, packing away her textbooks into her bag. She had been told today was just an introduction, and there wouldn’t be any intense studying, but it was good to be prepared nonetheless.

She dressed herself in the kind of skirt that was professional but not too professional, so that she could appear friendly but not too laid back. Then, after some deliberation, she opted for a light coloured blouse and a thin jumper folded neatly in her bag. Once she had checked and double checked her bag, she left the house and began to make her way to her location.

The sun was uncomfortably warm. It beat down on her back with an unrelenting ferocity, and she longed for nothing more than to plunge herself into cool water. Unfortunately for Katara, she had work to do. She picked up the pace as she walked along the streets to find the address she had neatly penned in cursive onto the slip of paper that was growing damp with the sweat from her hands. She couldn’t tell how much of the sweat was from the summer heat and how much was nerves.

Of course, the extra credit was imperative to Katara’s success. She maintained borderline perfect grades, but in order to get into the colleges she wanted, she needed to be careful to keep on top of her grades. Naturally, when the principal offered extra credit for tutoring a disabled student, Katara readily accepted. Maybe she could even manage to befriend this student. It was in her nature to help others, after all. Regardless, she knew it would give her something to occupy her over the coming school-free weeks.

Katara was not a fan of the summer holidays. For one, she felt it made her idle. She liked having a task to focus on, and the meagre summer work was never enough to placate her for long. Giving her a reason to leave the house would not only solve this problem, it would also stop her and her brother from remaining cooped up together. They were close, but Katara knew that they had a tendency to be at each other’s throats.

She approached the front door of the house and shook her head to clear her thoughts, taking one deep calming breath before knocking on the door. She affixed a bright smile to her face, trying to appear brave and confident. Cool and collected. She desperately ignored the fact that her stomach was doing somersaults in fear.

A familiar face greeted her at the door. Her brother, Sokka, was far from unpopular, but Zuko was a categorical loner. His dark hair failed to conceal the burn scar spanning across his face. “Katara, you must be the tutor? Makes sense.”

“Uh, yes, yeah, sorry, is this the right house?” She clumsily wiped the sweat from her hands on her skirt, offering a hand for a hand shake. He did not take her hand, and she awkwardly returned it to her side. This was strange. She’d been led to believe that the student she was tutoring had a spinal injury resulting in bodily paralysis, but she was certain Sokka would have mentioned it if one of his friends was paralysed, and here Zuko was, standing fine. “Are you my student?

“What? Oh. Ha. No, it’s not me.” That made sense. Katara let out a nervous chuckle, and the two stood in strained silence for a moment. Zuko was not an incredibly talkative person, and Katara was reluctant to push him into a conversation, but she was incredibly confused. Zuko remained standing in the doorway, unmoving and unspeaking. After what seemed like hours, but was probably closer to thirty seconds, Katara cleared her throat. “Oh! You want to come inside. Of course. Um, it’s my sister, Azula. I’m sure you’ve heard of her.” He let Katara inside, and she entered the house, taking everything as she did so.

Katara’s blood ran cold in her veins, fear shooting through her entire body. Of course she knew Azula. Everybody knew Azula, and Katara was certain she knew her far better than she would have liked. There were too many dots that should have connected sooner. She knew Zuko was Azula’s sister, but she could have sworn they hadn’t lived together in years. Azula knew about the accident - everyone knew about the accident - but she didn’t know it had left Azula paralysed. Given the choice, Katara would have picked tutoring anybody in the world over Azula, but she didn’t have a choice. Somebody needed help, and even if that somebody was a girl who had made Katara’s life a living hell, she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to help.

The house was cosier than anything Katara would have associated with Azula, and far too welcoming for her liking. She felt like helpless prey being lured into the open and waiting mouth of an anglerfish by the light of extra credit and pleasant home furnishings. A wooden plaque by the front door read “Life is like a cup of tea. It’s all about how you make it.”. This was nothing like the gothic castle and torture room she had come to believe Azula must have lived in. Was Zuko joking?

An elderly man appeared in one of the doorways branching off of the corridor, smiling widely. “Ah! Lovely to meet you! I’m Iroh, but you can call me uncle. I hope Zuko’s already introduced himself. You’re Katara, Sokka’s sister. Sokka talks about you.”

She nodded in both acknowledgement and greeting. Given Zuko’s response to her attempted handshake, she kept her hands by her sides this time. “Where’s Azula?”

She was ushered into a room that was much more like she had anticipated. The walls were painted with a pattern of black and red, and the blackout curtains hid the summer sun from the inside. Sat at a desk in a wheelchair was a girl with a much less imposing frame than Katara recalled. Her arms lay limp in her lap, but her expression was as stern as ever. Katara’s eyes scanned her face, taking in the lack of makeup and the hair which had been brushed, but not put up in any of Azula’s usual hairstyles. She had always been beautiful, even if her personality was completely misaligned with this beauty, and she knew it, but today Katara saw a glimpse of insecurity.

“You’re dressed like a seventy year old teacher.” Azula’s voice cut through the tension in the air, sharp as ever. “Why is it her?” Azula used the mouthpiece on her wheelchair to spin and face Iroh and Katara. “I thought I’d be tutored by someone decent.”

“Azula! Be nice. Katara is here to help. If you want to go back to school, you have to be tutored. There’s no other way to catch up on what you missed.” Iroh’s voice was firm but affectionate, and Katara was certain Azula was going to lash out, but she didn’t, and merely quietly seethed, nodding to Iroh. “Now, I’ll leave you girls to it. No need for studying today! Just get to know each other.” He smiled, then left, closing the door as he left.

Katara smiled and waved goodbye, and as she returned her gaze to Azula she was met with a glare that would once have turned her into a scared mess. She had grown up a lot, though, and Azula didn’t scare her anymore. “Yes Azula, be nice.” She met Azula’s eyes with her own, offering a sickly sweet smile.

“I’m not doing this for you, or for me. I’m doing this so that he can stop worrying about me.” She snapped back, but seemingly seemed to be less inclined to tease Katara seeing that her reaction was no longer what it had been.

“Okay.” Katara responded, tone level. The rest of the time passed mostly uneventfully, with Azula mostly ignoring Katara or giving single word answers to questions about her studying habits and academic knowledge. Despite the evident disdain Azula demonstrated, she refrained from even attempting to insult Katara again. Whether it was Katara’s confidence, or the fear of upsetting Iroh, Katara was grateful nonetheless.

She was, of course, still scared. How could she not be? But she knew better than to let that show. If she was going to do this, and nothing could have stopped her from doing this now, she was not going to let Azula get the better of her.

Chapter Text

Nervous anticipation was creeping up on Azula. It was not like her to be nervous - her father had beaten that out of her long ago. There were plenty of things she was not allowed to feel. She could be angry, and she could be proud. She could be very little else. Yet, these past few months, she had felt her other emotions creep back to her gradually. She had felt sadness - a lot of it. For the first time since she was a baby, she had been crying. She had also felt admiration, for her uncle and her brother, but recently (and most concerningly) for Katara.

When they first met, Katara had seemed pathetic to Azula. She was never as shy as some of Azula’s other targets, but she was weak enough in the right ways that Azula learnt quickly how to get under her skin. It was cruel, Azula knew that, but she had to be cruel to survive. That was how the world worked. Hurt or get hurt, and Azula was certainly not going to get hurt. At least, that’s what she thought at the time. She knew now that getting hurt was not something you could choose.

A diving board. The sensation of water. A cracking sound. Pain. She shook her head to clear the memory, taking a deep breath. Breathing exercises. Stupid things. Everything was stupid.

Today was her first official tutoring session. Of course, her and Katara had already been “introduced”, although this was entirely unnecessary. They knew each other plenty well enough. That being said, the “introduction” was eye-opening. Katara had stood up to her. This was something Azula did not recall from their previous interactions, but it was a quality that incited this newfound emotion: admiration.

Perhaps Katara was less insufferable than Azula had ever given her credit for. Perhaps they could even be friends. That was ridiculous, Azula would never stoop so low; however, since Ty Lee and Mai moved on to greener pastures, Azula found her options for friendship few and far between (if few and far between was a euphemism for non-existent). Most of the people who were willing to befriend someone who had had such a spectacular fall from grace were people that had personal vendettas against Azula.

She could hardly blame them. She had been horrible to them, but could they blame her? They clearly hadn’t had a father as excellent as her; a father willing to whip her into shape, to make her an honourable person instead of a wimp. A father who abandoned her six months ago. A father who came to her in her hospital bed and told her she was no longer his daughter. A father who would never love her again. She couldn’t blame him. She had disappointed him in a way that made her sick to think of.

Every waking second the back of her mind was occupied with thoughts of what she could have done differently, what she could have done to avoid this. If she had been good enough to perfect the dive, maybe then she would have stayed the picture of perfection. Maybe.

She was so wrapped up in this thought that when the door to her bedroom swung open to reveal Katara, she barely registered it. “Azula.”

The voice snapped her out of her daze, and she fixed a look of contempt onto her face as she raised her gaze to meet Katara’s. “Katara.” She sneered. “What are you bothering me with today?”

“Maths.” Katara’s bag was heavily dumped on Azula’s bed, thudding audibly. “I’ve got loads of textbooks. Don’t worry about running out of work, there’s plenty to do.” She was enjoying this. Azula could hear the sadistic delight in Katara’s voice. This was probably some sick form of revenge. Why else would she spend her summer break helping her? “Where do you want to start? Algebra’s a good starting point.”

“I couldn’t care less.” She snapped in response.

“Algebra it is then.”

The work was tedious, and Azula felt her brain practically aching with effort by the time that Katara finally slammed the textbook she was using closed and declared their time at an end. “Do you feel like you’ve learnt something so far?”

“I feel like I’ve learnt how much of a nerd you are.” Azula was tired, and despite her best efforts to avoid insulting Katara, it was impossible to contain completely.

Katara raised a dubious eyebrow in response. “Anything else?” She said in a level tone. Azula could sense some barely restrained frustration bubbling beneath Katara’s cool exterior, and in that moment she was overcome with an urge to tempt it to the surface.

“I’ve also learnt how terrible you are at tutoring.”

“I’m wounded.” Katara retorted, snorting slightly in amusement, letting her flat expression break out into a grin. There was something about her refusal to back down, and her smile, that Azula almost found attractive. Almost, of course, because even if Katara wasn’t a step down from her usual girlfriends, there was no way Katara could even be remotely interested in her. She was bitter and unlikeable and her redeemable qualities had been stripped away from her. Her father made sure that she knew that.

Azula rolled her eyes at Katara’s response, ignoring her rising emotions. Lately it had become increasingly difficult to keep any and all emotions in check. “I understand algebra now. Thanks, I guess.”

Azula’s glare was met with a surprisingly warm smile, as Katara’s joking demeanour seemingly dissolved and was replaced by her usual mask of responsibility. “It’s honestly no trouble at all. Tutoring you will be helpful for me to revise the topics, and I would never turn down extra credit.”

Ah, there it was. The real reason Katara was here. Azula knew it couldn’t have been out of the goodness of her heart (nobody was that nice), and the revenge theory was still not impossible, but, admittedly, had been improbable. Extra credit. She was in it for success. Azula would have done the same. There was a part of her that felt wounded that the reasoning wasn’t more personal. At least revenge meant that she was thinking about her. That was a stupid line of thought. Azula pushed it to the back of her mind, and shrugged at Katara. “Extra credit is extra credit.” She agreed. “You know the way out. See ya. Close my door behind you.”

Katara sorted her bag out, then did as instructed and Azula was left alone in her room.

***

Azula was fascinating in the way that a venomous snake is fascinating. Katara wanted to know more about everything, but it was obvious Azula wasn’t planning on sharing anything anytime soon. If she understood Azula better, it would be easier to connect to her. The easier it was to connect to her, the easier it was to tutor her. The easier it was to tutor her, the less work Katara had to do. There was also the added bonus of the fact that Katara could, potentially, help Azula to confront a lot of the motivators for her venomous behaviour. They had only seen each other twice since the accident, but Katara already felt a pang of responsibility for her former bully. There was nobody in need of help that Katara was not willing to help.

On her way out of her room, Katara caught sight of Zuko lounging in the living room. He was hardly the most talkative person in the world, but he was her best shot at the moment. “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” She said to herself (too loudly) as she entered the living room. Zuko’s head perked up and turned to where Katara stood.

“What did you say?” He asked, placing the book he was reading to one side. Was that Jane Austen? Hardly the type of book she would have expected him to read. That was besides the point.

“Um, nothing, I just wanted to know if I could have a drink before I walk home? It’s so hot out.” She was a mastermind, an expert liar. She could hardly believe how well she was pulling off her deception.

“Oh, yeah, sure. What do you want?” Zuko rose to his feet, padding through to the kitchen and grabbing a glass out of the cabinets. “Water, juice, squash?”

“Just water please.” She followed him through deliberately, letting him pour her a glass of water and taking a sip before speaking again. “So, I thought Sokka said Azula didn’t live with you?”

“She didn’t, until six months or so ago. After the accident our father kicked her out.” This was excellent. She was getting loads of information without pushing. Maybe there was still time to shift her career path towards being a spy instead of a doctor.

“Ah, I see.” She nodded sagely. “I can imagine the transition has been difficult for her. And you!”

“It has.” Zuko shrugged. “It’s nice having an actual sister now, instead of just an additional bully. I’m sure you understand what it’s like to be bullied by Azula.” Katara could not contain her shocked expression, to which Zuko simply shrugged again in response. “Sokka’s my best friend. He tells me everything.” He looked at her. “It wasn’t always that way. I was similar to my sister when I was living with my father. Sokka forgave me, and that helped me a lot. I know it’s a lot to ask of a person, but if you were to try to forgive Azula for what she did, I think she could genuinely change for the better. There’s good in her. It’s just been buried deep inside.”

This completely caught her off-guard. She was hoping for secret insight into Azula’s mind so that she could understand her better, not whatever this was. She nervously drained the rest of the water from her glass, coughing slightly as some of it went down the wrong way. “Maybe. If she apologised I’d consider it. It’s not really that easy.” She dropped all guises in the name of honesty. She never really was a good liar anyway.

“I understand. I’ve not entirely forgiven her yet myself.” He took the glass from her, washing it in the sink and continuing to talk. “You know, there are lots of things about her that I can’t tell you. Some things are for her to share, when she’s ready.” He placed the glass on the drying rack, turning to face Katara. “But if there are any questions that I feel like I can answer, I will. Anything for Sokka’s sister.” Obviously she had not been as subtle as she thought in her inquiries. Nevermind, Zuko seemed cooperative anyway.

He smiled at her. Katara thought this might have been the first time she had seen him smile. They said their goodbyes, and Katara left to make her way home.

Chapter Text

Azula woke up to Zuko grinning stupidly at her. This was one of her least favourite parts of living with Iroh and Zuko. That being said, there was something pleasant about the fact that they had managed to build a sibling bond on what was essentially just a rivalry for their entire lives. She felt like he was an ally now, rather than an enemy, and that was a safe place for her to be in.

“You have a crush.” He declared with a degree of entirely unwarranted pride. What was he talking about?

She sighed, rolling her eyes at his enthusiasm, but she was genuinely intrigued to hear who he thought she was interested in. There was nobody she could even consider her friend at the moment, and there was certainly nobody who she was interested in. “News to me. Who?”

He seemed incredibly pleased with himself, and seated himself, uninvited, on the edge of her bed. “Uncle agrees with me. He thinks we should do something about it. It’s been ages since you and Ty Lee broke up, and you should enjoy yourself.”

“Brave words from someone who’s only relationship lasted a month. How is Mai, by the way?” She huffed, irritated by this conversation already. The memory of her last breakup was still raw with resentment.

“Ouch.” He pulled a face at her. “This conversation isn’t about me. It’s about you.” He paused, as though for dramatic effect. “And Katara.” He added confidently.

“...of course. I’m in love with the nerd. You caught me! I was planning on proposing marriage in our tutoring session today. Oh wait, I can’t get down on one knee. Nevermind, then. I’ll just have to call the whole thing off.” She drawled sarcastically, but her cheeks did begin to heat up. Why would Zuko think that? She felt nothing but animosity (and maybe a smidgen of respect) for Katara. Of course, she was beautiful, and funny, and smart, and kind, and made her feel slightly giddy sometimes, but she had absolutely no romantic feelings for her whatsoever. They had spent several tutoring sessions together now, and a tenuous friendship may have been beginning to sprout from the seeds of respect, but even that was pushing it.

“Just friends for now, then?” He smirked as though he was being disbelieving.

She scoffed. “Hardly. She’s helping me get through high school without failing. That’s all. Now can you help me get up and dressed so that I can be in my chair by the time she arrives?”

Zuko obliged, and soon she was wearing a semi-presentable outfit. One of the things she missed the most about her life before the accident was doing her hair and makeup and putting together an outfit. She knew she looked good without all that, but her confidence had taken a hit with the new limits imposed on her appearance. Of course, neither Zuko nor Iroh knew the first thing about hair and makeup, so there was never going to be any luck there.

It especially made her feel insecure when she was around Katara, because Katara always looked so perfectly put together. It was something she had noticed even before she stopped viewing Katara as anything other than another nobody in a sea of unremarkable teenagers. Katara was undeniably gorgeous.

She thought back to Zuko’s comments, and opted to push the thought far from her mind. She moved her chair over to the small mirror sitting on her desk and looked at herself for a while.

When Katara arrived, Azula’s mood had soured, sat fermenting throughout the day. Through breakfast and lunch she stewed in her irritation, and by the time three knocks on the door signalled Katara’s arrival, Azula knew she was going to struggle to get any work done today. Katara entered Azula’s room, as usual, dropping her bag unceremoniously on the bed. “Trigonometry today.” She spoke in the same cheery, optimistic tone that she always seemed able to maintain. It made Azula’s blood boil.

“Want me to get us some snacks and drinks before we make a start?” She sat herself on the bed like it was hers. Like Azula was hers. Like she was entitled to any of this.

“I’m not your fucking friend.” Azula snapped. “Get that through your skull for once, why don’t you? Or is it too full of nerd bullshit? I don’t like you! You don’t even like me! Stop being nice to me just because you feel fucking bad for me! I’m not your goddamn charity case.”

Katara blinked confusedly at her for a moment before her expression hardened into one that could only be described as determination. “I don’t care. I don’t care if you like me. I don’t care if you hate me! I’m used to it by now. I don’t feel sorry for you, actually. I’m helping you because it’s what I do. I help people. You’re not special.” Azula had pushed Katara’s buttons before, seen her at every stage of restrained frustration, but an outburst like this was unfamiliar. She wasn’t quite sure how to react. Most people backed down when she got angry with them, or just sat there and took it, but Katara wasn’t most people. “I am going to teach you trigonometry and I am going to get us some snacks and drinks. So you can either try and learn and do something for yourself, or you can shut up and deal with it. Your choice.” She glared directly at Azula. “What are you going to choose?”

Azula was taken aback, and impressed. She started laughing. She started genuinely laughing, for the first time in years. Someone was standing up to her. Someone was pushing back, finally. Katara wasn’t scared of her, nor did she feel pity for her. It was so refreshing, and she felt a wave of genuine joy at the prospect. Katara’s expression returned to one of confusion before she too succumbed to laughter.

There were tears in both of their eyes before the laughter stopped, and Azula turned to Katara. “Okay, snacks, drinks and trigonometry?”

After Katara left, Azula left her room and went to the living room, watching TV with Zuko. It was the first time she had voluntarily left her room in months, and it was pleasant. Iroh came and sat with them after a while. They were watching some absurd cooking show. Eventually, the comfortable silence was broken by Iroh. “So, Azula. Zuko tells me you have a crush.”

Azula let out a groan of displeasure.

“You know Katara is a lovely girl. Zuko and I were saying just yesterday. Lovely girl, isn’t she Zuko?”

“Lovely girl.” He repeated, trying his best to conceal his stupid grin.

Iroh nodded at Zuko. “We could invite her round for dinner one night. So that you have an excuse to spend time with her outside of studying. I know you girls are dedicated to your studies, but I heard you laughing earlier and…” He trailed off, reaching out and placing one of his hands over Azula’s. “You deserve happiness.”

Azula rolled her eyes, looking away from Iroh. “Uncle, it’s not like that. She’s barely even my friend.”

Zuko chimed in. “Well I’m inviting Sokka round for dinner one of these nights anyway. If he brings Katara that’s up to him.” He shrugged in faux innocence, but was still grinning stupidly. Azula knew better than to argue with them when they were in moods like this, and so she opted to just enjoy the rest of the evening watching TV.

***

Katara collapsed onto the sofa as soon as she was home. Her father was still out, and he most likely wouldn’t return for at least a week. After her mother’s death, her father found it difficult to stay at home all the time. He took up a job hours away, one that gave him an excuse to be away from home for long periods of time. He sent enough money for Katara and Sokka, but constantly cooking meals for herself and Sokka and cleaning the house was exhausting. All of that and she still had to keep on top of her grades. She was wiped out at the end of the day.

Tutoring Azula had become somewhat of a respite. It was still work, of course, but it was less intense than her responsibilities elsewhere. Once you got used to dodging and deflecting her snide comments, Azula really wasn’t terrible company. Sokka looked over from his spot on the sofa. “You good?”

“Fine. I just need to close my eyes for a moment,” she mumbled, doing as she stated, “how are you?”

“I’m alright. I think me and Zuko are gonna hit the gym tomorrow. Get some proper gym time.” Katara didn’t need to open her eyes to know that Sokka was flexing his biceps. He continued babbling about exercise, and she let herself get lulled to sleep.

Her sleep was plagued with strange dreams of her mother, maths, and Azula. There were plenty of things playing on her mind at the moment.

An indefinite amount of time later, Katara was awoken by a finger flicking her forehead. “What’s for dinner?”

She groaned in response. “You can order pizza. I’m not cooking tonight.”

“Whoo! Meat feast time!” He whooped in joy, whipping his phone out. He then squinted at the screen. “Ah shit, Zuko texted me.”

“Do you ever shut up about Zuko?” She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“We’ve been invited to dinner.”

“We? Don’t you mean you?”

“Nope, we! We, Katara. We.”

“What are you, French?”

“Oui oui.” He laughed. “Zuko said we can go round there for dinner tomorrow, after we’re done getting swole at the gym.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Say what?”

“Getting swole.”

“Why? We are going to be getting swole.”

“Ugh, just shut up. You’re insufferable. Why am I invited?”

“Azula wants you there.”

That was bizarre. Even if Katara had been trying her best to assist Azula, and had developed some affectionate feelings towards her, she knew that Azula didn’t consider them friends. A thousand possibilities flashed through her brain. Was Azula attempting to apologise for her earlier outburst? Was this all some elaborate prank designed to shame Katara for caring about Azula in any capacity? She had no idea, but she didn’t trust it. Nonetheless, it would be rude to decline such an invite, and she held her manners in high regard. “Hmm. Alright then. I suppose we will have to go.”

Chapter Text

The smell of Iroh’s food preparation floated fragrantly out of the kitchen. He had always been an excellent cook with an exceptional palette. In his prime, he was a well renowned chef, but now he stuck mostly to home cooking. Tonight’s menu was hiyayakko followed by warabimochi. The dishes were simple enough to prepare (Iroh had been worried about making the whole affair seem unnecessarily formal), and perfect for the oppressive heat that seemed to permeate every nook and cranny.

The collar of Azula’s red silk shirt uncomfortably brushed uncomfortably against her neck. She felt somewhat ridiculous all dressed up like this, especially after months of wearing only casual clothing, but she felt it necessary. Despite Iroh’s best efforts to keep the dinner casual, she felt a great sense of ceremony surrounding it. An unnecessary sense, of course, but a sense nonetheless. Iroh had helped her dress, but still she felt her undone hair and lack of makeup made her seem unkempt.

The door opened, and the sound of someone entering the house could be heard. Azula was quick to recognise the pattern of footsteps as her brother’s - obviously returned from the gym. More footsteps followed, probably Sokka. She heard the shower running, and blew a strand of hair from her face. staring at her mirror. She practised a few expressions. She smiled, frowned, furrowed her brows. There was an immense amount of pressure she felt riding on this dinner. It was, in a sense, the transformation of her and Katara’s acquaintance into something that began to resemble a friendship. Not that she really cared about that, of course.

She finally left her bedroom and headed to the kitchen. “Food nearly ready, uncle?”

“Should be!” He smiled warmly. She loved that smile. It had a certain reassuring quality in it that had always had the power to cut through her anxieties and ease her concerns.

There were times when she still lived with Ozai and seeing Iroh was a rare treat where she would look back on his indomitable optimism with fondness. After the accident, in that hospital bed, Iroh never left her side. She remembered that, even if her general memory of the accident and hospital was hazy. She remembered him, and the fact that he was there for her.

It was a nauseating concept. She couldn’t imagine loving so freely and selflessly that, even after everything she said to him, even after her ingratitude, he still would have given her the world. And he had. He had given her a life. He had allowed her more freedom than she had ever had before, admittedly. Even with her paralysis and the consequential stripping of independence, she felt more free here than she ever had living with Ozai. There were none of those old concerns. She no longer lived in fear of being hit or reprimanded at every misstep.

She loathed the thought of loving someone that much. It would make her weak. Loving anyone at all had made her weak. When Ty Lee broke up with her it hurt far more than Azula would have liked. There was no chance of her ever caring that much about someone ever again.

“I’m going to go and set the table. And check on our guests.” So Sokka was here, and presumably Katara. That caused her nerves to bubble up.

She heard someone walk up behind her and turned, expecting to see her brother. She opened her mouth to let out some sarcastic quip about him smelling from his visit to the gym, but was left unable to speak in shock as her eyes fell upon Katara. Katara’s hair was braided neatly into two, and she was dressed in a beautiful blue sundress embroidered with white waves. She wore a necklace made up of blue beads and small shells and matching earrings and bracelets. She looked stunning, and the blue was a beautiful shade on her. Azula felt her heart catch in her throat.

“Is it weird that I’m here?” Katara asked in hushed tones, almost conspiratorial in nature. At least that confirmed that Azula wasn’t the only one with concerns about this dinner.

Azula let out a light laugh, feeling suddenly more self conscious about her hair and lack of makeup than she had been earlier. Katara was, admittedly, gorgeous, and Azula was a little bit intimidated. “A little weird, I guess. But Zuko insisted.” She shrugged. “At least you’ll get to try uncle’s food. He prides himself on it.”

“Weird, Sokka also insisted. Guess it makes sense. Zuko’s practically family, so by extension that makes you and Iroh relatively important to Sokka.” Relatively important to Katara’s brother. How sweet. This was why Azula couldn’t afford to catch feelings. Azula nodded awkwardly, a little bit too distracted by her own thoughts to answer properly. “You look good, by the way. I like the red on you. And the food smells delicious.”

Azula mumbled an awkward thanks, desperately thinking of ways to avoid talking to Katara longer. “You should probably go and sit with Sokka now. Uncle will probably worry if you spend too much time in the kitchen.”

“Oh, right. Will do.” Katara gave an awkward thumbs up, and Azula watched her leave the kitchen.

***

This house had started to feel less like a den of wolves to Katara, but there was still a sense of unease in the air as she seated herself at the dining room table. She wondered if the unease wasn’t helped by her undeniable level of attraction to Azula. Azula had always been gorgeous - it was one of the many traits that allowed her to comfortably exist at the peak of the social hierarchy of high school. That being said, Katara had always felt that no matter how physically attractive a person might be, she valued positive and kind personalities, of which Azula had certainly always been lacking.

Unfortunately for Katara, Azula had become an enjoyable person to be around in the time they had spent together. This meant that Katara could no longer ignore Azula’s good looks on account of her sour personality. None of this, however, changed the fact that Azula clearly didn’t like Katara all that much. She seemed less than enthused about Katara’s presence. Katara nervously wiped her sweaty hands on the skirt of her sundress, flashing an awkward smile at Iroh as he served up the food.

Zuko and Sokka seated themselves side by side at the table. Sokka, who usually might have teased Katara about her nervous state, was instead busy elbowing Zuko about something. The boys whispered to each other, dissolving into giggles at their own words. Great. Katara was without her usual ally. She would have to face Azula alone.

Azula eventually materialised from the kitchen, and Katara felt her breath hitch in her throat. She had already talked to Azula in the kitchen, but there was no denying that her looks were breathtaking here, too. She moved her wheelchair next to Katara’s chair, but neglected to look at her.

Seating himself at the head of the table, Iroh faced the teenagers with a wide grin. “It’s lovely to see our two families joined together here!” Iroh kept a smiling face even as Zuko and Sokka continued to whisper. Azula shot her brother a dirty look. “Even though some of you are too busy talking to each other to socialise with the rest of us.” He chuckled softly. “Well. Enjoy the food!” He began to eat.

Despite looking slightly sheepish, neither Zuko nor Sokka apologised as they quieted down and tucked into their food. As Iroh ate, he also helped Azula to eat.

Katara followed their lead, and was immediately hit with excellent flavours. Iroh was, apparently, a fantastic cook. This certainly topped her usual oven pizzas and microwave meals. Whilst she often attempted to cook her and Sokka proper meals, there often weren’t enough hours in the day for such indulgences. This meal was a blessing. Just as she took a second mouthful, Iroh chose to ask her a question.

“Katara, how is Azula getting along with her studies? There certainly has been an improvement in her mood since you began tutoring her, but I worry that she’s slightly distracted from academics.” At those words, Azula seemed to blush a deep red and scowled.

Katara tried to ignore her confusion as she swallowed her mouthful of food hurriedly. “I’m not sure what you mean. Azula’s an excellent student. Incredibly attentive!”

Zuko burst out laughing. “I’m sure she is!” He grabbed onto Sokka as he laughed to steady himself, clearly unable to contain himself as Azula scowled across the table at him. Sokka himself giggled slightly, and Katara attempted to make eye contact with him in desperate pleading for an explanation, but Sokka just shook his head and whispered something to Zuko, causing him to laugh even more.

“Boys.” Iroh said sternly, but there was a hint of humour in his voice too. “That’s lovely to hear, Katara. You know I think it would be beneficial for Azula if you were to take her out sometime, perhaps with your friends? She doesn’t get to go out much, especially not now that Ty Lee and Mai don’t especially talk to her.” The last sentence seemed to set Azula even more on edge, and Katara picked up on this.

“I’m sure Azula can make her own decisions about whether to go out.” That being said, Katara was certain Iroh had the right idea. Azula needed to leave the house and see people other than her family and Katara. Unfortunately, though, Katara was certain that Azula wouldn’t be a fan of this idea. “Besides, she’s not exactly been the biggest fan of my friends, historically speaking.” Katara tried her best to keep any sense of animosity out of her voice, but there was a bitterness there she couldn’t hide.

Seemingly picking up on the edge in Katara’s voice, Azula jumped to her own defence. “Yeah, uncle, I wouldn’t want to hang out with a bunch of stupid nerds.”

“Toph and Aang are actually pretty cool.” Zuko interrupted before Azula could say anything else. “Right, Sokka?” Sokka nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, you would think that.” Azula’s voice was laden with snark.

“Azula. Be nice. I just thought you might want to go out with Katara.” Iroh said gently. It was obvious to Katara that this man was well versed in how to diffuse the hot headed siblings. Neither of them were known for having a good handle on their tempers, but around Iroh both seemed incredibly willing to back down from a fight.

“Maybe.” Azula said slowly, reluctantly. It took Katara by surprise. “But not with her nerd friends.”

Zuko got a stupid grin on his face. It was an expression Sokka recognised in her own brother. “Oh, so like a date?” Azula continued to glare at Zuko. “I’m kidding. I’m sure Katara has much higher standards than that!”

“Shut the fuck up, Zuko.” Azula snapped. For a moment Katara thought Azula was about to explode at him, and she braced herself for the likelihood that she would be caught in the crossfire. It was obvious to Katara that Zuko was joking - she knew how much he cared for his sister, but it seemed to have struck a nerve with Azula. This wasn’t going to be pretty. Then, something miraculous happened. Azula glanced briefly at Katara, took a deep breath and offered Iroh a restrained smile, clearly holding back her anger. “You know, uncle, I’m actually not that hungry. Sorry. The food is lovely. I hope the rest of you enjoy your meal.” Azula left, heading to her room.

Iroh sighed, turning his attention to Zuko. “That was cruel, Zuko. I’m so sorry about this.” He apologised to Sokka and Katara, then moved to leave, clearly planning to follow after Azula. Katara suddenly sprung into action, standing in between him and the doorway.

“Iroh, sit down. You made us dinner, you deserve to eat it. There’s no need to apologise. It’s not your fault. I know Azula’s temper better than most. I’ll go and talk to her, okay?”

For a moment, Iroh hesitated, then he smiled at Katara and returned to his seat. “Okay. Thank you, Katara, you truly are a gift for our Azula.”

After nodding her thanks, Katara left and made her way to Azula’s room. She quietly opened the door to find Azula in front of her vanity mirror, cheeks shining with fresh tears.

Chapter Text

Azula stared at her face in the mirror. She hated it. She hated not being able to do her own makeup. She was ugly, and definitely not good enough for Katara. Zuko was right, and she was stupid for even allowing herself to think otherwise for a split second. Perhaps leaving dinner wasn’t the right call. This was going to draw attention to her. It was too late now. She wished she could wipe away her own tears, but instead she just glared at their reflection.

The door opened behind her, and she prepared herself for an argument with Iroh, or Zuko, but instead of either of them she was faced with Katara. Great. Not only was Katara aware of her inferiority in other areas, now Katara knew how weak she was. Azula opened her mouth to say something, anything to make up for the fact that she was crying in front of Katara, but the only thing she could manage was more tears.

The look of surprise on Katara’s face dissipated almost instantly, and was replaced by a strange expression that could have been sympathy but was probably pity, or disgust. Katara crossed over and sat on the bed by Azula’s wheelchair. She grabbed a box of tissues off of Azula’s vanity, and silently began drying Azula’s cheeks with them.

“What are you doing?” Azula finally managed to croak out.

“I’m being your friend. I’m taking care of you.”

Azula chose not to argue, letting Katara dry her tears. Then Katara disappeared, and Azula began to wonder if that was the last time she would ever see her. Maybe now that Katara knew how weak Azula was, she was going to leave forever. That line of thought was cut short when Katara returned with a glass of water, which she gently pressed to Azula’s lips, urging her to drink. She drank dutifully.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Katara’s voice was so painfully soft and sweet in contrast with Azula’s thoughts, which cut deep like a knife. Azula shook her head. She never wanted to talk about it. There was never anything to say. Besides, if she talked about it, that made her weak. But Katara had already seen her weak. Azula could not have been any more vulnerable in that moment if she tried, so maybe there was no harm in talking about it. “Are you sure?”

“I’m just not good enough.” Azula was shocked at how quiet her voice was in her confession. “I’m gonna fail all my classes, even with your help. The things that I was actually good at, I can’t do anymore. I could have entered the Olympics with my diving and now- Now I can’t do anything. I can’t even do my own makeup anymore, so I’m ugly too.” Azula sniffed furiously, trying to ignore how uncomfortable it made her to express her insecurities out loud.

“That’s not true.” Katara said, in that same determined tone she always took when arguing with Azula. Her defiance always made Azula smile slightly. It was nice for someone to challenge her for once. “You’re doing excellent in your studies. You’re not quite an A grade student, sure, but there’s nothing wrong with the solid Bs you’re getting. Diving isn’t everything. You have so many talents. You know, in art class I always thought you were the best painter there. It made me sad that you cared more about being a bitch and being the best at sports than you did about painting. I think you should try painting again.” She smiled at Azula. God, that smile. It made Azula want to disappear forever. It was unbearably sweet. “Also, you’re not ugly. You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever met. But if makeup would make you feel better, I can help with that. I can’t promise I’m an expert, but I’m sure I’ll do a better job than Iroh and Zuko could.” She laughed gently.

Azula took a moment to absorb what Katara had said, then looked over at her, offering a small smile in return. “You’d really do my makeup for me?”

“And paint your nails, and style your hair.” She smiled back, clearly relieved by Azula’s more agreeable mood. “On one condition. Well, maybe two conditions.” She smiled.

“Are you negotiating with me?” Azula allowed a smirk to creep onto her face.

“Maybe I am.” Katara teased, throwing the tissues in the bin.

“Alright, negotiator. What are your conditions?”

“One, you return to dinner and enjoy the meal that your uncle made us. He put a lot of effort into it and he deserves to be able to enjoy everyone being there.” Azula nodded along. That was a fair demand. “Two, you agree to spend a day with my friends and me. After that, I promise you don’t have to hang out with us again if you don’t want to, but Iroh’s right, Azula, it would do you some good to leave the house, and spend time with people! It’ll be fun, I promise, we can go shopping and then get ice cream. I’ll be there the whole time if you need anything.”

Azula took a moment to turn the idea over in her head. Despite her initial hesitance, she had to admit that it would actually be quite nice. “Alright.” She answered after a while.

“Alright?” Katara’s face lit up with joy. It was clear that she had expected more resistance.

“Alright.” Azula repeated, unable to keep the grin off of her face as she witnessed Katara’s joy.

“Alright!” Katara practically jumped for joy as she sprung to her feet. “Okay, well, let’s go back to dinner then!” She beamed widely, and headed back to the table.

Azula followed along, in considerably brighter spirits.

Iroh and Zuko, to their credit, didn’t make any comments about the fact that Azula had been crying. It was evident that Iroh had told Zuko off for the way he spoke to Azula, and Azula was a little bit proud of that, even if she wasn’t going to admit it. She gave Zuko a slightly smug smile as Iroh helped her finish off her hiyayakko. Polite conversation ensued, and the rest of dinner passed uneventfully. The warabimochi that Iroh made was delicious, and Sokka and Katara showered Iroh’s cooking in compliments. Even Azula and Zuko, who were used to his cooking by now, had to praise his abilities.

When the dinner finally came to a close, Azula was in better spirits than she had predicted she would be in. Sokka and Katara left, and Azula went to bed happy that night, although apprehensive about the gathering she had agreed to attend with Katara’s friends.

✝ ✝ ✝

It was a few days after the dinner when Katara appeared at Azula’s house, makeup bag in hand. She was ready to go out to the mall with Azula and to finally introduce her to her friends. It was a daunting prospect, but exciting nonetheless. As she entered Azula’s room, she immediately noticed Azula’s outfit. It was closer to something she might have worn to high school, with black fishnets, red boots, a black minidress and red leather jacket. Azula looked over to Katara. “Oh, good. I was beginning to think you were going to be late.”

“I’m never late, Azula, you know me.” Katara smiled, sitting down on the bed and emptying her bag of makeup onto Azula’s sheets. “So. What are we thinking for your makeup?”

“I miss my red lipstick. And I want my dark eyeliner and eyeshadow back.” Azula said after a moment of deliberation.

Katara felt pride swell within her. She had anticipated exactly this. She produced a brand new red lipstick, one that she had purchased yesterday for Azula. Usually, Katara wore blue toned eyeshadows and lip gloss, so yesterday she had taken herself to the drugstore to buy what she remembered Azula wearing in school. “I thought you’d say that!” Katara could barely contain her excitement, and she saw a smile form on Azula’s lips. “I went and bought this specially.”

Azula’s smile widened slightly, and a blush seemed to form on her cheeks. Katara did her best to ignore this as she opened the lipstick, leaning in so that she could apply it carefully to Azula’s lips. When she was done, she wiped a red smear from the corner of Azula’s mouth with her thumb, and smiled. It was only then when she realised how close she was to Azula’s face. Azula was definitely blushing now, but didn’t say anything, just keeping level eye contact with Katara.

“There you go.” Katara whispered, not moving away just yet. She saw Azula’s eyes flick to her lips, and suddenly Katara snapped back to reality. She pulled herself away, clearing her throat and getting out a dark eyeshadow palette. “Um, close your eyes.” Azula did as instructed, and Katara applied the shadow to her lids. Then, she lined her eyes with the black eyeliner she had purchased. The wing was sharp, just like Azula used to do her own eyeliner. Katara felt that pride swelling up again. It was her first time trying makeup like this, and she thought she’d done a pretty good job. “You can open them now.” Katara tried not to let her pride bleed into her voice too much.

Azula was speechless as she looked at herself in the mirror, then a grin spread across her face. “Thank you.” She said, and it was clear she was holding back tears. “You have no idea how much this means.” She spoke in a hushed tone, like this was somehow secret.

“It’s really no problem. I’m gonna do your nails now, and then your hair, so have a think about what style you want your hair in.” She produced red nail polish, to match the lipstick, and began to apply it to Azula’s hands. She felt Azula’s gaze burn into her as she painted her nails. Once she was done, she met her eyes again. “So, what do you want?”

“Can you just do a high ponytail today? Maybe you can braid it some other time, but I don’t want to be late to meeting Aang and Toph today.”

“Of course, no problem.” Katara set to work brushing through Azula’s hair, and then put it up in a simple high ponytail, leaving Azula’s two signature strands out at the front. Azula looked almost identical to how she had looked in high school, but there was a softness about her now. Katara couldn’t tell if it was a difference in the way she had applied the makeup, or whether Azula herself had softened so noticeably the change was physical. Either way, it was certainly there.

Once they were ready to leave, Iroh drove them both to the mall. Azula was noticeably nervous, glancing out of the car windows. Katara wasn’t entirely sure of what she could do to comfort her, but she hoped that she would relax when they arrived at the mall. She was right, for the most part, even though Azula was a little bit awkward meeting Aang and Toph, their friendly nature seemed to start bringing her out of her shell.

After wandering around the shops for a while, the group ended up in a little ice cream place. They all ordered, and found a little table in the corner where they sat.

Toph smiled in Azula’s direction. “So, how have your studies with Katara been going?”

“Very well, actually.” Azula answered politely.

“I see. Well, I don’t see, actually, but you know.” Toph laughed. “You know, when you return to school you should come to the Disability and Special Needs Group. Counts as an extracurricular, and you can talk to people who’ve dealt with similar issues to you. Can’t say I personally know what being paralysed is like, but some of the people there do, and it’s great. It’s like group therapy.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of the group.” The politeness was fading slightly from Azula’s voice, and Katara was suddenly nervous about Azula saying something rude to Toph. “I don’t think I need therapy though. Thanks for the offer.” She sounded slightly bitter, but hadn’t said anything actually rude, so Katara kept her mouth shut. Aang did not award Azula the same courtesy.

“What, do you think you’re better than people who do?” Aang spoke in an accusatory tone. “Well, you’re not. You’re not better than any of us.”

Katara winced. That wasn’t going to go down well with Azula.

“That’s not what I meant. Katara, you know that’s not what I meant.” Azula turned to Katara, desperate for some backup.

“Aang, you know that’s not what she meant.”

“Well, I’m sorry your little girlfriend still gets a free pass to be a bitch. I wasn’t aware she was more important than the friends you’ve had for literal years.” Aang glared at Azula, folding his arms.

“Aang!” Katara sighed. “She’s trying, okay?”

Toph laughed slightly. “Aang, she’s here with us. Eating ice cream. She’s not being a bitch she’s just a little insecure still. It’s okay, Azula. I get it. You’re the big scary strong girl who doesn’t need help from anyone.” Toph smiled at Azula. “Aang’s just being protective of his friends, but I know you’re not being mean on purpose. I get it, but you don’t need to be defensive with us. We’re not gonna judge you, are we?” Toph gestured to Katara and Aang.

“No.” They said in unison, then Katara gently rested a hand on Azula’s shoulder. “See. I told you it would be fine.”

Katara watched as Azula nodded weakly. “Sorry. Thanks.” She mumbled. Katara knew she must have hated how well Toph had managed to read her.

Aang sighed, unfolding his arms and continuing to eat his ice cream. “It’s okay. You’re one of us now, and we forgive each other. So, I forgive you, Azula.”

“Thank you.” Azula repeated earnestly, and Katara couldn’t keep the smile off of her face as she looked over at Azula.

Chapter Text

Over the course of the summer, Azula subjected herself to a few more meetings with Katara’s friends. Against her better intentions, she began to grow fond of the little group. It was also nice to see Katara more outside of the study sessions, and what had begun as a little bit of interest had developed steadily into a full blown crush. She had to admit it now, even if it pained her to do so, but the summer was drawing to a close, and she knew that as they all returned to the belly of the beast (high school), things would change.

She was bracing herself for the worst. She would return to highschool as a social pariah, and even Katara would realise that hanging out with her was social suicide. Katara, Aang, Toph, Sokka, and Zuko too, would all abandon her. Even Iroh would decide she was too much of a disappointment, and Ty Lee, Mai, Ozai, everyone would have been right about Azula the whole time. She really was good for nothing. She’d probably fail all of her classes and starve to death in a homeless shelter in a few years. Stupid, stupid Azula. How could she have let herself be happy for even a second? Surely her father had taught her better than that.

Unable to calm her thoughts, she called Iroh to her room, and requested his help in setting up paint and an easel. He obliged, and after he left she got to work painting. It was an abstract painting, more an expression of her feelings than anything else, but as she held the paintbrush between her teeth she immediately felt a wave of calm wash over her. She completed the painting and moved back to look at it. Over the past weeks, she had developed a habit of painting to calm her emotions. It worked, for the most part, but now that she was done she felt those anxieties bubbling up again.

The bedroom door opening snapped Azula out of her trance. “I made flapjacks!” Katara announced as she entered, excitement thick in her voice. Then her eyes fell on the painting. “Oh my god, Azula, that’s beautiful.” She moved close to get a better look at it.

“Stop. It’s personal.” Azula snapped. This remark didn’t seem to break Katara’s spirits, and she simply smiled understandingly and backed away from the painting.

“We’re gonna be doing a practice test today, so you need brain food.” Great, a practice test, proof that she was a failure. Yay. “Then tonight I was wondering…” She paused. Oh, god. What was she going to say? Tonight I was wondering if I could abandon you forever? Tonight can I push you off a cliff like you deserve? “Could we maybe have a sleepover?” Oh. What?

Azula was completely taken aback, and she had to laugh at that. “A sleepover? What are you, twelve?” That was harsh, and Azula immediately regretted her cruelty when she saw Katara’s crestfallen face.

“It’s just… You’re the first close friend I’ve had that would be up for that. Toph and Aang are great, but both of them think it’s lame. I just thought it could be cool. I could go and get popcorn and we could watch a movie or something.” Katara shrugged. Katara really considered Azula a close friend? She felt her cheeks heat up at the thought. This was the most nervous Azula had seen Katara in a while. Her usual steadfast confidence and cool disposition seemed absent at this moment. This was clearly a big deal to Katara.

Once upon a time, Azula would have taken this moment of weakness as a perfect opportunity for cruelty. Now, however, she smiled at Katara. “That sounds like great fun.” The smile on Katara’s face was certainly worth her kindness.

Katara’s flapjacks were great. Very little compared to Iroh’s cooking, but from the few baked treats Azula had tried from Katara, Katara was certainly a strong contender. After she had completed the practice test and Katara sat marking it, Azula took a deep breath, looking over at Katara and attempting to garner confidence before speaking.

“You can look at the painting.” She said hesitantly. “I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier. Just, I paint when I’m stressed, and I’m not exactly proud of my paintings. My dad always told me art was rubbish, and mine wasn’t good enough to be in a gallery so what was the point?” This was one of the first times she had mentioned her dad with Katara. She tried her hardest not to think about Ozai, but the subject was bound to come up sooner or later, no matter how sore it was.

“Well your dad was wrong.” Katara said steadfastly as she placed the paper to one side and picked up the painting. “You have such a good natural understanding of colour. I really think you could make a living off of this.” She said carefully. “When we go back to school, I’m gonna take you to talk to the art teacher.” She smiled, then looked over at Azula. “Do you wanna talk about why you were stressed today?”

“School.” Azula shrugged slightly, smiling weakly back at Katara. “I was worried that you wouldn’t want to spend time with me anymore when we went back to school. That we wouldn’t be… friends.” Azula said the last word as though she wasn’t sure about it.

“Well that’s ridiculous. You’re my friend now whether you like it or not. I am not letting you get away from me that easily.” Katara laughed, and Azula couldn’t help but laugh too. Of course, Azula didn’t really want to be just Katara’s friend, but that was a worry for another day. For today, she was Katara’s friend, her close friend, and that was what mattered to her.

✝ ✝ ✝

Before staying over for the night, Katara ran home to grab a backpack full of her things. She ran around her house happily, grinning at Sokka, who was sitting on the sofa, presumably gaming online with Zuko. Did they ever stop talking to each other? Sokka grinned back. “She said yes to the sleepover then?”

“She said yes!” Katara squealed, hugging Sokka tightly.

“Does this mean you can finally admit that you like her?”

“Shut up.” Katara said, a huge grin covering her face. “Maybe. She’s actually really sweet, you know!”

Sokka laughed, shaking his head. “I knew it. I need to tell Zuko about this.” Katara rolled her eyes, leaving with her bag of stuff.

When she returned to Azula’s house, she was greeted by a stupid grin on Zuko’s face. Evidently Sokka had told him. “Hey Katara. If you need a hand making the evening more romantic let me know. I can turn the AC on so that you have to offer her your jacket for warmth or something.” He teased.

Katara rolled her eyes. Over the summer, Zuko had become like a second brother to her. “Shut up Zuko.” She laughed, entering the house. Immediately she was greeted by Iroh.

“If you two want to go on a date there’s a lovely restaurant downtown! I know the owner, I could get you a reservation!” Iroh smiled.

Katara sighed. So Zuko had told Iroh. She smiled in return. “Thank you, but we’re just hanging out. As friends.” She said firmly, making her way to Azula’s bedroom before being bombarded by further questions. “Your uncle and brother are great, but intense.” Katara sighed as she collapsed onto Azula’s bed.

“Tell me about it.” Azula laughed, looking at Katara. “You’re practically part of the family now. You’ll have to get used to the interrogations.”

“Evidently.” She laughed, then unloaded her bag on the bed. “Okay, I have all the sleepover necessities. Microwave popcorn, face masks, shitty chick flicks… Anything else?”

“Those all sound great.” Azula smiled at Katara.

They put on one of the chick flicks and Katara helped Azula out of her chair onto the bed so that they could sit together to watch the film. Throughout the film, they joked and laughed. After the first film was over, Katara went to go and make the popcorn. Whilst in the kitchen, Zuko came and sat on the counter to talk to her. “You know I was just teasing you, right?” Katara nodded, laughing slightly at his need to clarify. “But… if you did want to ask out my sister, you have my blessing.”

“Oh, I have your blessing, do I?” She laughed. “And you and Sokka have my blessing.” She teased.

“We’re not- This is about you and Azula. And about the fact that Azula could do with a good girlfriend, and it’s so painfully obvious that she’s got a massive crush on you. So, you know, if you happened to like her back…” He smiled at Katara.

“We’re friends. Close friends. We’re not dating.”

“Yet.” Zuko grinned.

“I’m not even certain she likes me in that way, Zuko.” She shook her head disapprovingly as the popcorn finished in the microwave and she got it out, placing it in a bowl and heading back to Azula’s room before Zuko could comment further.

After the popcorn, they put on face masks. Once the second film had finished, Katara brought out nail polish. “I decided you can pick what colour I paint my nails for school.” She smiled widely at Azula. “Normally, I go with blue, but I wanted to branch out!”

Azula seemed to think for a moment, then smiled. “Red. I vote red.”

“Red it is.” Katara got to work painting her nails, then refreshed Azula’s nail polish with the same shade. “Now we match.” She giggled slightly, looking over at Azula, who was blushing furiously.

“Yeah, that’s cool I guess.” Azula turned her face away.

“Oh, just cool I guess.” Katara mimicked her tone teasingly. “Come on, it’s awesome.”

Azula turned back to look at Katara, shaking her head and laughing. “You’re such a dork.” She grinned, biting her lip and looking Katara in the eyes. For a moment they were both quiet, then Katara leaned in and softly pressed her lips to Azula’s. Azula leaned in too, kissing back. The kiss was gentle, reserved, but still it felt as though it existed in a small eternity of its own. Azula’s lips were soft, and warm, and Katara could taste the popcorn they had just eaten. Katara could have paused time and lived in that moment forever, but she didn’t. She pulled away instead. Azula’s face was practically bright red by now, and her eyes seemed glossy with tears.

“Sorry.” She said quietly. “I shouldn’t have done that, sorry.”

Azula stared at her a little blankly for a moment before speaking. “Sorry?” She laughed, as though the situation was ridiculous. “What are you sorry for?”

“I’ve just made things awkward.” Katara answered, brows furrowing in concern. She really wasn’t sure what Azula was so amused by. Wasn’t she angry that Katara had kissed her? Wasn’t she angry that Katara had stupidly assumed there was something more behind their friendship? “I shouldn’t have just assumed you liked me back.”

“Idiot.” Azula laughed. “I’ve wanted to do that the whole summer.” She said quietly.

Katara was dumbfounded. All of the doubts she had had about Azula even liking her as a friend, and Azula had spent the entire summer wanting to kiss her. Wow, she was oblivious. “Oh.” Katara responded just as quietly. “Do you want to go on a date with me?” She whispered.

Azula’s face retained that bright red hue. “Sure…it’d be awesome.” She laughed softly.

Katara kissed Azula again, more briefly this time. They were both sporting massive smiles on their faces. “Awesome.” Katara repeated.

They watched another film, but both of them fell asleep halfway through. Katara woke up in the morning to Iroh knocking on the bedroom door before entering. “Good morning! It’s breakfast time. Katara, how do you like your eggs?”

“Scrambled, please.” She answered, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Azula was still asleep, snoring.

Iroh smiled affectionately at Azula. “It’s nice that she got to spend time with someone she cares about. I’m glad that you’re here, Katara. You’ve really brightened up her life. And the offer still stands on restaurant reservations…” Katara could see where Zuko got his scheming from.

She chuckled slightly. “Actually, I think I would like a reservation please.” She glanced over at Azula, who was still sleeping peacefully.

“Ahh.” Iroh nodded knowingly, giving a wink before leaving the room. Katara laughed, then woke Azula up.

Chapter Text

The butterflies in Azula’s stomach hadn’t subsisted since Katara kissed her, and only got worse every time Azula thought about their upcoming date. It was the last Friday before their return to school on Monday, and although Azula felt significantly more confident about things now, it was undeniable that apprehension hung in the air like unwanted fog. Azula was painting before the date. It was mere hours away. Today Azula painted Katara’s face. She had been experimenting with portraiture recently, and although she retained the abstract style that she favoured, she was proud of her ability to capture the likeness of people. Zuko and Iroh were easy for her to paint, and often willing to sit as live references. Katara was more difficult, but Azula enjoyed painting Katara’s face, so it didn’t overly matter to her.

In just two hours, Katara was going to come round to do her hair and makeup for the date. If you had told Azula at the start of the summer that Katara would be doing her makeup for a date, she would have laughed in your face, but this was now the reality of her situation.

Azula was absolutely petrified of messing up. With Ty Lee, she had been intentionally cruel at times. They were less than healthy with each other, and that was the only real relationship that Azula had been in. There had been brief flings with other girls, but she often left them heart broken. The truth is, close to her accident she had been pushing more and more people away. Ty Lee and Mai were the only two people who weren’t terrified of her, and even then there were times that Azula lashed out at them. It did not come as a surprise when they left too, after the accident.

Then, when her father cast her out, she only had Iroh and Zuko. And she was cruel to them too. Less cruel than she had been, but she knew she was like an ill-tempered dog, just waiting to finally bite and be put down. Ozai’s rage burned deep inside of her, as it always had, and always would. She was sometimes cruel to Katara. What if that only got worse as time went on? What if she could not outrun her own cruelty? Then she thought of Katara. She thought of the guilt that plagued her when she made Katara sad.

She could never hurt Katara. She knew that for certain at that moment. Katara was like a wave of calm that doused the flame inside of her. It was temporary - Azula was certain she was always going to be angry - but it was something, at least. Katara calmed her in a way that nobody ever had before. If she let that go because she was afraid of hurting other people she would never have forgiven herself. Besides, Katara had already proved herself to be more than capable of retaliating to Azula’s outbursts.

Iroh knocked tentatively on her door, and Azula placed her paintbrush on her desk. “Come in.” He entered, smiling at the painting.

“Are you excited for tonight?”

“Excited, and nervous.” This was honest of her. She was trying to be more honest nowadays. She had spent her entire life covering up how she felt about things, but between them Iroh and Katara had begun to teach that out of her. “What if she’s only going out with me because she feels bad for me?” Azula looked up at Iroh, and suddenly she felt like a child asking her father a question. Except, unlike her father, Iroh responded with kindness, and not his fists.

“Azula. You are a bright girl. I think by now you know that Katara doesn’t feel bad for you.” He smiled. “And if she breaks your heart, Zuko will beat her up.” He laughed heartily. “And I will always be here as a shoulder to cry on.”

Azula fought back tears at the kindness. She had learnt to take cruelty with a straight face, but kindness still brought her to tears. As though on cue, Zuko entered. “Oi, dumbass, are you excited for your little date tonight?”

“Shut up, Zuko.” She grumbled. “Yes. I am excited.”

“Good. Remember, if she breaks your heart, I’ll beat her up!” Iroh and Azula exchanged a knowing look. Then, unexpectedly, Zuko hugged her. “I’m proud of you. Have fun.” He then left as suddenly as he had entered, and Azula smiled at Iroh.

“I told you.” He said cheerily. “And I’m proud of you too, Azula. I know the accident was a terrible tragedy, but something good came of it. You being here, and having Katara and the rest of your friends, is good. I’m glad you have this.” Azula nodded quietly. “Enjoy your painting. I’ll be ready to take you to the restaurant later.”

“Thank you, uncle.” Azula smiled at him as he left, then continued her painting.

The date went well that evening. They talked about everything and nothing, and enjoyed the food (Iroh’s recommendation had been great). Eventually, though, just as all good things must, the date came to an end. Despite Katara’s complaints, Azula paid for the whole bill. “As a thank you. For everything you’ve done to help me.”

“All I did was teach you maths and English.” Katara laughed. “And you could have taught that to yourself if you had the confidence.” She shrugged nonchalantly.

Azula let herself laugh too, shaking her head. “You’ve done so much more than that. So much more than you even know.” She looked at Katara. “You’ve changed my life.” She said softly. “You’ve helped me so much, and I didn’t deserve any of it. I’m sorry for everything I put you through.”

Katara returned her gaze with a soft smile. “I forgive you.” She said quietly, brushing a strand of hair from Azula’s face. “Stop punishing yourself for your past. You deserve to be happy. I hope that I can make you happy.” Katara paused for a moment, and Azula felt her nerves bubble up. “I wanted to take this date as an opportunity to ask you something.” She hesitated. “...will you be my girlfriend?”

Azula immediately burst into tears, nodding enthusiastically as her eye makeup began to stream down her face. Katara wiped her face with such affection that Azula thought she might pass out, but she didn’t. Instead she kissed Katara, and it felt as though everything might finally be okay. Maybe Azula was redeemable after all. Maybe she was good enough after all.

After Iroh had dropped Katara home, he sat in the living room with Azula. “So, how did it go?” He asked eagerly.

Azula couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Her usual scowl was replaced by a smile as wide as her face. “I have a girlfriend now, uncle!” She answered, tone thick with joy.

“Oh! That is excellent news! ZUKO! Come and hear the excellent news!” Iroh called out, and minutes later Zuko materialised. “Azula has a girlfriend!”

Zuko broke out into a grin too, and him and Iroh embraced and danced around in joy. Then Zuko turned his attention to Azula. “So, should we throw a party in congratulations? Or are we planning the wedding already? Come on, Azula!”

Azula couldn’t even find it in her heart to be irritated by her brother’s antics; she was too overjoyed. She just laughed and shook her head.

✝ ✝ ✝

That Monday morning was a rough start, and Katara felt like the alarm was drilling into her skull as she dragged herself out of bed. She made breakfast for herself and Sokka and they sat at the breakfast table, both half asleep. “I can’t believe you got a girlfriend before me.” Sokka grumbled.

“What about Kaya? And Yue?”

“Oh, come on. Kaya doesn’t count and Yue and I were never official before she left for that fancy astronomy school.” Sokka yawned out.

Katara rolled her eyes at her brother. “Sure. Well, it’s not my fault I’m the funnier and smarter sibling.”

“Yeah, right.” Sokka stood up, yawning yet again before heading to his room to get ready. Katara did the same.

They made their way over to Azula’s house. Iroh drove them to school together, but even his chipper mood failed to cut through the groggy teenage angst of the first day back at school. They piled out of the car, with Zuko and Sokka standing to the side to discuss their timetable for the day.

Katara stood by Azula’s wheelchair, squeezing her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay.” She said, half reassuring Azula, half reassuring herself. Azula nodded, somewhat unconvinced, but she still offered her girlfriend a smile. Katara was her girlfriend. It made her giddy to think about.

Toph and Aang came bounding over excitedly upon spotting the group. “Are you guys excited for today?” Aang beamed.

Iroh chuckled. “I love this young man’s enthusiasm.”

“That makes one of us.” Toph groaned, and they all let out a chuckle at that. “Now, are we going to head in or just stand out here all day?” She grinned.

Ty Lee and Mai walked past, shooting Azula a dirty look as they did so. Katara squeezed Azula’s shoulder, and Azula smiled nervously at her again. “It’s okay.” She whispered.

“If this continues for the rest of the year I will have to write them a strongly worded letter.” She whispered back, eliciting a laugh from Azula. That laugh was music to her ears.

Iroh looked at Zuko and Azula. “I’ll see you later. Don’t get any detentions on your first day.” He then smiled at Sokka and Katara. “You too. Good luck, kids.” He then got into his car again and drove off, leaving them alone to face the horrors of high school. No, not alone. They had each other.