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The candles flickered in their sconces, the light barely enough to illuminate the scroll spread across Zuko’s lap. The sun had long since set, and the pot of tea Uncle had brewed sat empty for hours. He yawned and gazed over to the opposite end of the settee, not bothering to suppress a smile. Katara was sound asleep, the blue shawl designating her as Ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe draped over half her face, while her brush slowly drip-drip-dripped onto her own unfurled scroll. It wasn’t the first time she’d dozed off in the middle of a task, and it probably wouldn’t be the last, but he couldn’t help but be charmed by how still and small she looked as she rested.
Not calm, though. Never calm for Master Katara. Her lips curved into a frown even in sleep, the same divot between her brows that popped up whenever she was arguing ( which was often) .
Zuko blushed slightly as he caught himself studying her, the gentle curves of her, the strong, sharp cheekbones and full, plush lips. Her feet were bare and tucked up just inches away from his thigh, and he yearned to loop his long fingers around her delicate ankle, to pull her into his lap and -
Some thoughts shouldn’t be given wings. He shook his head and set aside his work for the night, gently pulling the brush and scroll from her to stack on his desk.
“Katara,” he whispered, giving her shoulder a little shake. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed, okay?”
“Doctors need waterbenders and herbs and not stupid old men,” she murmured without opening her eyes. “Minister Chao is a dumb bully.”
Zuko grinned. Of course she was working on her hospital proposal in her sleep. “Katara. Bed. Fight with Chao when you’re awake.”
Her brilliant blue eyes were glassy and unfocused as she blinked a few times before locking on his face. “Did I fall asleep again?”
He nodded. Katara pushed herself up to stand, swaying on unsteady legs. Zuko rushed to steady her, one hand on her elbow while the other wrapped around her waist. She blinked again.
“Careful there.”
“Where’d you come from?” she yawned.
“The moon, obviously.” He couldn’t fight his wide smile as Katara’s eyes fluttered shut once more.
“That’s Yue. Try again, Hotman.”
“How are you such a smartass when you’re half asleep?”
“Sokka. Next question.”
Zuko chuckled. “Let’s go. It’s bedtime for the sleepy waterbender.”
A soft blush stained her brown cheeks. “You don’t have to take care of me, you know,” she slurred.
“And if I want to?”
Katara shook her head and lifted up on her toes, catching his lips in a lazy, sleepy kiss like they did this every night. He froze, his brain screeched to a halt before he could stop her from pulling away. “You’re sweet and pretty. Night night, Zuko. Love you.”
Zuko gaped like a fish as she slipped away and padded down the hall, her feet still bare and eyes barely open. He lifted a hand to his lips in disbelief. Had she really kissed him? He sighed and went back to his scrolls, rubbing the back of his neck.
Sleep was not happening tonight.
---
Katara winced as the bright Fire Nation sun streamed through her window. She never slept without the curtains closed tightly, but considering that she was still wearing yesterday’s robes, it was pretty clear she hadn’t been all together present when she collapsed into bed.
She wiggled her bare toes and frowned, glancing around her room. What had she done with her shoes? Typically she kicked them off right inside the door, or in her tidier moments tucked them under her nightstand, but the pretty cobalt slippers Zuko had given her a few days after she had taken her post as Ambassador were nowhere to be seen.
Zuko . Her frown deepened as memories of the previous night flitted through her mind. She’d fallen asleep working again. Tui and La, at least she didn’t snore. How embarrassing. He had woken her up… and said something… and Spirits he was always so warm …
Katara sat up like a shot, her hand flying to her lips.
Had she kissed him last night?
You’re sweet and pretty. Night night, Zuko. Love you.
She buried her face in a pillow and screamed. Of course she had thought about him over the years - how could she not when he looked and sounded and acted and cared like that and she was only human after all - but those feelings were buried so deep even Toph’s earthbending couldn’t dig them out. Which is how it was supposed to stay.
They could laugh it off, of course, like they did every other lingering hug or late night spent sitting a little too close or the moments when she swore he was staring at her, only to look away at the last second. It would be normal. It was fine.
Shit. She had left her shoes in Zuko’s chambers. The rumor mill was going to go wild, if it hadn’t already started.
Katara scrambled out of bed, twisting her hair into a haphazard braid and frantically adjusting her shawl. If she could just get to him before -
Knock knock knock.
Her stomach dropped like a stone.
“Master Katara? I’ve come to escort you to your meeting with Minister Ito,” Iroh’s soothing voice called. She cracked open the door to his overly-innocent grin, an opaque red bag in his hands. “May I come in while you finish preparing for the day?”
With a wary nod, she opened the door wider and ushered him into her sitting room.
“My apologies, Iroh. I overslept,” she murmured. “I can call for some tea if you’d like some while you wait.”
His grin grew wide and sly. “No need, my lady. I admit, escorting you across the palace will be a great delight, but I had another mission, you might say.” He reached into the bag. “These slippers are exquisite and quite distinctive, wouldn’t you agree?”
Katara fought a smile even as she snatched the shoes away. “You rascal. I don’t know whether to water-whip you or thank you for stopping the gossip-mongers.”
“Nothing will stop the gossip, my dear. We can only hope to direct and delay. Now, hurry and change. Minister Ito is not a patient woman, and is mysteriously immune to my charms.”
She laughed and slid the door connecting her sitting room and bedroom closed. It took only minutes to slip on a deep, red gown and to twist her hair into a simple bun, her hair loopies still framing her face even in adulthood. After all, tradition stated that women wore them until marriage, and that was a far-off dream.
Night night, Zuko. Love you .
Katara scowled at her reflection and pinched her cheeks, willing some of the sleep-deprived pallor away. There was no use in thinking of him right now or ever. It was just… a blip. A slip of the tongue. Knowing him, he probably had forgotten all about it.
---
Zuko was losing his mind. The madness of his predecessors had finally taken hold, because he had done nothing but think about Katara. About the brief brush of her lips over his own, the feeling of her fingers on his shoulder and his hand molded to her hip…
“My Lord, Esteemed General Iroh is here to see you,” Mina, one of the Kyoshi Warriors Suki had sent as his personal guard, peeked her head around the door.
“Send him in, and please call Akida for some of the arctic lily tea that Chief Hakoda sent us.”
She nodded with a grin that he couldn’t place and opened the door wider, ushering in his uncle.
Iroh bustled in, wrapping Zuko in a hug almost before he could stand completely from his desk. “You’re looking well, my son. Any secrets you’d like to share with an old man?”
Zuko slumped into his chair, gesturing towards the comfortable armchairs across from his desk. “I called for tea.”
“So I heard. A special gift from our friends in the South. Did you know that the arctic lily is said to be the most beautiful of all? But do not be fooled only by the beauty - her nectar is sweet but her roots grow deep.” Iroh settled back with an impish smile.
“Uncle…”
“I stopped by your quarters earlier, you know. Your taste in footwear has grown more eccentric since my last visit.”
“Uncle!”
“I digress.” He smiled as the door opened once more. “Oh Akida! You’re looking even more like your lovely mother. Did you send her the tea I recommended for her hand movement?”
Iroh was all smiles as the servant settled a small tea service between them, her motions precise.
“Yes, Lord Iroh,” she murmured, her voice barely a whisper. “My mother was very thankful for your attention. We appreciate the generosity of the royal family.”
“No need for such ceremony, young lady. Tell Aila to write me if her hands bother her again. I have a friend in Ba Sing Se with a magic touch.”
Akida bowed and backed out of the room. Zuko frowned but began to pour the tea.
“What troubles you, nephew?”
“It’s been nearly ten years and they still act like Ozai is going to charge out of the wings with fists blazing. Akida didn’t even work here when he was Fire Lord.”
“No, I don’t suppose she did, but Aila started under my father, who was possibly even worse than Ozai when it came to his household. Memories are long when it comes to those we love and want to protect.”
Zuko raised his teacup, the delicate aroma of lilies and snow vividly reminding him once again of the night before. Did she really think he was sweet and pretty? Did she mean to kiss him? Would she even remember, as tired as she had been?
“Something else vexes you, I think,” Iroh mused, the fox-cat smile back on his face. Zuko fumbled his cup, splashing some tea on his opulent robe.
“Just, uh. It’s - it’s nothing.”
“I think it is something. Something to do with Chief Hakoda sending you, not Master Katara, a full shipment of his daughter’s favorite tea. Something to do with the beautiful slippers I found beneath your settee. Something to do with Master Suki assigning the lady’s next-closest confidante as your guard. Or perhaps, something to do with the lady herself, answering her door this morning in yesterday’s clothes. Might I be getting close?”
He swallowed hard, a small blue flame dancing between his fingertips. “Uncle… you know the palace has ears.”
“It does, and I don’t think anything you confess would be news to the many who listen and hope.”
“Hope? What does that mean?”
“You have made remarkable changes to this world in your short years. You may not know it, but the people of the Fire Nation and beyond love and respect you. And perhaps, as part of their admiration, they want you to bring more change.”
“Would you get to the point?”
“The tradition of arranged marriage goes back centuries, Fire Lord Zuko. Even my Ilha was chosen for me, though she became dear to me before the end. You, however, could do the most radical thing of all.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You, my son, could marry for love.”
He rose, ignoring Zuko’s sputtering, just as there was another knock on the door.
“I know you are busy, My Lord, but Master Katara is here for her appointment,” Mina said, a grin stretching on her pretty face.
“Appoint- but- UNCLE!”
Iroh turned, his eyes alight with mischief. “I will take my leave, Fire Lord Zuko. I’m sure you’d prefer more beautiful company.”
Zuko buried his hands in his hair, disrupting the crown that perched in his sleek topknot.
“Hey. Headaches again?” Katara asked, her voice both soothing and grating his fried nerves.
“You could say that.”
“I can -” she reached toward him.
“No!” he jerked back.
“But -”
“Katara,” Zuko held his hands up in surrender, a small smile stretching on his face against his will. “I’m fine.”
Their gazes caught, an electric moment hanging between them. She was the first to break, clearing her throat while he smoothed back his hair.
“Did you -”
“I brought -”
Zuko chuckled. “You first.”
Katara spread the scroll across his desk. She fidgeted with the sleeves of her deep, crimson gown, the color vivid against her skin. Agni she was so beautiful. He swallowed but gestured for her to continue.
“The most recent hospital proposal. I thought you’d like to see it before the Council meeting next week. I spoke with Minister Ito this morning and she had some suggestions, but we both feel that Chao is going to continue to push back without significant buy in from the other Ministers.”
He couldn’t help his grin. “Hospitals need waterbenders and herbs and not dumb bullies?”
Katara dropped her brush with a wet plop , scrambling backwards. “Oh! I thought you didn’t - look at -” she cut off with a high-pitched laugh. “I must have forgotten! I have a meeting. Right now. Far, far away.”
“Katara, wait -”
The door was closed before he could even get around his desk.
---
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Katara tore her hair out of its bun, raking her nails over her scalp. “I am an idiot .”
She glanced at the valise tucked into the corner of her wardrobe. It had been a long time since she had taken a trip back to the South Pole… maybe a vacation would help her get over this crushing awkwardness. And ignore all these pesky feelings .
No. Running isn’t what she does. She just needed to clear the air. Laugh it off. Pretend she wouldn’t remember the way his hands felt at her waist, his lips against hers, for the rest of time. Like she didn’t mean it all the way to her bones when she murmured love you .
Or maybe a trip home really was overdue.
Katara squared her shoulders and pulled a scroll and brush from her tidy, pretty desk.
Dear Sokka…
---
Zuko stormed down the hallway. Katara had missed their meeting with one of the health ministers, had skipped tea with him and Uncle, and hadn’t shown up for their evening sparring session. Headache my ass , he fumed.
If only he could find her in this spirits-forsaken maze his ancestors called a palace.
He rounded a corner, blowing out a tendril of smoke before crashing straight into someone. His hands shot out to balance her, barely hearing the cacophony of scrolls crashing to the floor.
“Katara??!”
Her eyes were wide as saucers as she froze, flushing from her hairline down to the swell of her breasts.
“Sorry! I was just -”
He yanked her into an empty chamber without waiting for her response, the door slamming behind him.
“What the fuck , Katara?”
“Excuse me??”
“You heard me! Are you seriously avoiding me?”
She spun away, crossing her arms tight across her chest. “Don’t be ridiculous. I had letters to catch up on and wasn’t feeling well.”
“You’re lying.”
“How dare you!” she seethed.
“I have known you for more than ten years. I know when you’re upset. Did I do something wrong?”
“No! I just…”
He stepped away from her, too frustrated by the sheer need to touch her, to make her see sense, see him. He noticed a scroll that had rolled in behind them, stopping short when he saw the blue seal of the Water Tribes.
“You’re leaving.”
Katara turned back, her whole body stiff. “Not really. I didn’t mean it like that. I just need some time.”
He growled, wrenching his hair from his topknot. “That’s pumabear shit. Are you really going to let one accidental kiss ruin what we’ve built? What we have?”
“And what is that, Zuko?” she finally exploded, crowding into his space. “A lifetime of glances and secret touches and late nights left wondering and hoping that something will finally fucking give? Well guess what! Something did give, and now we can barely look at each other! All that hope for nothing ! I ruined everything and now I need to go lick my wounds. Leave me alone.”
He caught her wrist as she reached for the door. “It wasn’t nothing.”
“What?”
Zuko pulled her to face him, his other hand tentatively spread across the small of her back. She inhaled sharply, her eyes searching his face.
“It wasn’t nothing, Katara. Not to me. You weren’t the only one who hoped.”
She toyed with the ends of his hair, pulling him down until their foreheads touched. “What does that mean?” she whispered.
“It means that I want to kiss you when you’re not half asleep, for starters.”
“And then?”
He took a deep breath, steeling himself as he met her eyes once more. “I want whatever you’ll give me. I always have.”
She threaded her fingers in his hair, their lips barely a breath apart. “You have all of me, Zuko. You have to know that.”
Their lips met, tentatively brushing against each other.
“Is this okay?” he murmured. She nodded with a smile.
This time, the kiss was deeper, her hands buried in his hair while he pulled her flush against his body. She traced the seam of his lips with her tongue until he opened, stifling a moan when she licked into his mouth. Their hands were everywhere, grasping at each other’s clothes in a frenzied search for skin. Zuko lifted her up and perched her on the edge of a desk, knocking books to the floor with a clatter. He trailed down her neck to her cleavage, sucking a mark below her ear.
She sighed his name, pulling his face back up to hers in a desperate, consuming kiss.
“ Katara - “
They were so lost in each other that neither noticed the door open, nor the soft gasp as Akida fled back into the hallway.
A small smirk spread on her face as she rushed toward the gardens.
“Akida! It’s wonderful to see you again so soon,” Iroh laughed when she burst through the wide glass doors.
“Pay up, old man,” she panted, hand outstretched. “You bet it would take another month.”
His eyes widened, along with his smile. “Really?”
She nodded.
“Lady Beifong and Lord Sokka will be most pleased to send you your winnings as well, my dear. This is the most delightful news.”
Akida grinned. “He’s a good Fire Lord and a good man. We all deserve to be happy after everything before, don’t you think?”
“Such wise words should be accompanied with a nice cup of tea. Won’t you join me?”
“It would be my honor, Uncle Iroh.”
THE END.