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“Toph Beifong, you are never setting me up again!” Katara grumbled as she trudged into their shared apartment. Toph snickered and shoved her hand into her massive bowl of popcorn.
“Not up to your standards, Sweetness?”
“He spent the entire time staring at my tits and talking about his daddy’s ‘investments’. Then he got pissed off when I wouldn’t let him drive me home or kiss me goodnight. God. What a dickhead.”
“Is this better or worse than when that dating app matched you with your brother?”
Katara scowled and twisted to unzip the short blue dress that had been completely wasted on Hahn. Ever since Jet, her bad boy college sweetheart, had unceremoniously dumped her for a freaking archer, dating had been one disappointment after another.
Aang, her childhood friend, with his wide eyes and complete disconnect from anything remotely resembling responsibility.
Haru, sweet as can be and a great listener, but hung up on family drama from his hometown. Plus, if she was being shallow, there was that awful mustache.
Chan, who tried to drug her drink.
Ruon Jion, who had made up 90% of his profile and couldn’t keep track of his lies.
And now Hahn. Ugh. She honestly should have known he’d be a stuck up rich boy since his dad does business with the Beifongs, but still. He was a waste of time, $15 for a single cocktail, and a really great dress.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I know you were pretty excited about this one,” Toph said before shoving another handful of popcorn in her mouth.
“Why do they always seem so nice until it’s either a dick pic or a bad date?”
“Or both. Remember that one guy?”
Katara tossed her dress into the washing machine and pulled out a soft t-shirt from the dryer. “Don’t remind me.”
“You know, I have this other friend -”
“Absolutely not. No more blind dates.”
“So what’s next, Sugar Queen? Are you going to go the Bubbles route and start dating women or the Blades route and swear off men forever?”
“Aren’t Ty Lee and Mai dating now? Not the best example.”
She perched on the couch and grabbed some popcorn, swatting away Toph’s hand. “Share, you gremlin. And I don’t know. Probably not dating women. Probably not dating men either. Do you want to be platonic life partners?”
“We already are. I’m your Sugar Mama and you do all the cooking for me.”
“Match made in heaven.”
Toph bumped her head against Katara’s shoulder like a cat. “Want to listen to aggro-punk and eat junk food?”
“You’re a genius, Beifong.”
---
Two weeks later
“No.”
“Come on, Katara!”
“Absolutely not, Sokka. I am done with blind dates.”
“He’s one of my coworkers. I swear he’s completely sane and normal.”
“None of your coworkers are sane. You’re all super brilliant neurospicy energy wonks.”
Sokka sighed. “I mean, you’re not wrong, but Kuei is a good guy, I promise. Just this once? Please?”
“That’s what Suki said, and what Ty Lee said, and what Toph said. No!”
“I, uh -”
“What did you do?” Katara scowled.
“I may have already told him you’d go.”
“Sokka Kuruk!”
“I didn’t think you’d be this mad about it!” he yelped, dodging the pillow she threw at him.
“You asshole ! You know how much dating has sucked for me!”
“He’s completely your type, Sis.”
“You thought Zhao was my type!”
Sokka sunk onto the couch. “I’m sorry. But would you at least consider it? Please?”
She groaned, shoving her hair over her shoulders. “ Fine. I’ll think about it.”
He cheered.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. This isn’t me saying yes.”
---
“No.”
“Nephew, I know you have been most distraught since your accident, but -”
Zuko turned on his heel, scowling. “It wasn’t an accident, Uncle, and you know it. Me and Zuli were just collateral damage. My own fucking father.”
Iroh rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I know. I am proud of you for the progress you have made. You are a far better man than my brother ever was, and you grow more and more each day. I just worry over your isolation. You deserve more than an old man and a cat for company.”
“Hey, I have Toph!”
“Miss Beifong is a delight, but perhaps you would do well to have more than one friend.”
“I am not going on a blind date with a customer .”
“Miss Jin is a lovely young lady. And quite easy on the eyes too, I must say.”
“Uncle…”
“One night, Zuko. Just once to try to be young and free, is all I ask.”
He swallowed the lump of guilt and regret and nodded. “Just this once. Set me up again and I’ll over-steep your tea on purpose.”
Iroh gasped. “How could a member of my own family say something so horrible!”
That drew out a wry grin. This family had said, and done, much, much worse than bad tea.
---
Katara fidgeted with the blue scarf that marked her as Kuei’s date. He was supposed to be wearing a red shirt. She scanned the room - lots of black and green and blue, but no red. The bar was already crowded, even though it was barely 7:00, the pulsing bass vibrating to her bones. She rested her elbow on the slightly sticky bar top and pulled out her phone, settling in to wait.
---
Zuko finished buttoning his deep red shirt, swatting away his uncle’s attempts to style his shoulder-length hair. “Don’t wait up,” he grumbled, even as Iroh pulled him into a hug.
The bar was too crowded for his comfort, too many prying eyes on his scar. Ozai’s fall from grace had been in every paper on the planet, but not everyone had connected the dots to him. He hunched, his hair slightly obscuring that half of his face. Not enough, but it would do for now. Jin, whoever she was, was supposed to be wearing blue. He scanned the room. Fuck, that could be dozens of people. There were more guys here than women - typical - but more than one person leaned against the bar in blue.
It took him a moment to spot her. Long, thick brown hair falling almost to her waist, deep brown skin, curves in all the right places, and that blue scarf - this had to be Jin. His uncle clearly knew him well. She lifted her eyes to look around, clearly seeking someone out, and he nearly gasped when those brilliant blue eyes locked on him. She gave a tiny, bashful wave, and tucked her phone into her pocket.
He summoned every ounce of confidence he had ever had to approach the beauty in front of him.
“Hi. Blind date?”
She smiled. “The one and only. I’m Katara.”
---
When Sokka set her up, he neglected to mention that his coworker was absolutely fucking gorgeous . Honey-gold eyes, silky black hair, lean muscle that filled out his button down to perfection, he was almost unreal. Only the scar stretching across his angular face kept him grounded in the realm of mere mortals, keeping him from being too perfect. Katara swallowed hard as he walked towards her.
“Hi,” he rasped, his voice sending an immediate shiver down her spine. “Blind date?”
“The one and only,” she said, trying to temper her giddy smile. “I’m Katara.”
He cocked his head in confusion. “Katara?”
She nodded.
“Not Jin?”
Her heart sank. Of course. She would never be that lucky.
“I’m guessing you’re not Kuei?”
He shot her a crooked grin. “Hi, Zuko here.”
Katara sat back on her barstool, surveying him from head to toe. “Well, Zuko, since it looks like neither of our dates are here, do you want to keep me company for a minute?”
His smile turned wicked. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
---
“And then! He got mad because, and I quote, ‘those are enemy birds’!” Katara laughed, resting her hand on Zuko’s arm. He chuckled, trailing his fingers over the inside of her thigh.
“Your brother sounds like a character.”
“He is. I love him to death, but you know that fine line between genius and insanity? He lives that. He is the actual human embodiment of that.”
More than two hours had passed, both of their second drinks sitting empty on the bar. Zuko raised his other hand to brush hair away from her face. She blinked, leaning into his touch.
“So tell me something about you. I feel like you keep steering the conversation back to me.”
He sighed. “Not much to tell. My dad’s a convicted asshole, my uncle is a saint, my sister lives with her caretaker in Caldera and my mom is… well I don’t know where my mom is. Ignorance is bliss and all that.”
She settled back in her seat again and sipped her water. “You’re a porcupine.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t want people to ask questions. You’re a porcupine.”
He barked a laugh. “What would that make you?”
“There you go, diverting with your spiky quills again. I am clearly a mermaid. Why is your dad a convicted asshole?”
“Ever heard of Ozai Sozin?”
Her eyes went wide as saucers. “ OH. ”
He gestured to the scar on his face. “Yeah. Oh.”
“Well.”
He waved towards the bartender. “Ready to run yet?”
Katara laid her hand over his. “You’re not the only one with a backstory, Zuko.”
Zuko brushed her hair from her face again, intentionally tracing his fingers across her skin. “Is that so?”
She grinned. “You might have to take me out on purpose for that.”
“Looks like we both got stood up,” he murmured.
“I’ve never been happier for it.”
He slid his hand to the back of her neck and twisted into her hair, leaning into her space. “Hungry?”
She surged forward and captured his mouth in a desperate kiss. He immediately responded, wrapping his arms around her as well as he could from their separate chairs. Katara plunged one hand into his hair, the other running up and down his back. Her nails clawed at the fine fabric of his shirt, while he snuck his under the hem of her loose crop top.
They broke apart, panting. Katara pecked his lips again and smirked. “Mmmm. I’m starving. ”
He leaned in for another heady kiss. “Let’s get out of here, shall we?”
---
Murder Babes and that One Guy
Melon Lord : Everyone owes me $20. Gramps and I were right.
Snoozles : I’m the one that got her there! Do I have to pay up?
Melon Lord : Obviously.
Warrior Princess : We need proof, Toph. Not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t trust you.
Melon Lord : My man on the inside says they’re leaving together.
Snoozles : That’s not concrete scientific evidence.
Melon Lord : Would them making out at the bar be enough for you, Professor?
Warrior Princess : YES FUCKING FINALLY! I bow to your long game strategy, Toph Beifong. Ty Lee and Mai are in on the bet, too. Sokka, you have to pay.
Snoozles : Only because you told me to, my queen.
Melon Lord : Ugh. Whatever you bitches get up to is your own business. I’m headed to the Dragon. Uncle Iroh has earned this tea.
THE END