Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Flames curled around the firepit, illuminating everyone's faces, dancing lines across their skin. Silence hung in the air, the crackling of burning embers almost echoing against the house behind them.

Katara was conflicted, glaring into the flames. Not only did the play highlight her in the worst way possible, targeting all of her insecurities at once, but it also caused the most uncomfortably awkward moment between her and Aang. The boy now sat across from her, his grey eyes burning into her skin. She pretended not to notice, her gaze permanently glued to the fire.

“So..” Sokka started, earning a look from Suki. “Zuko-” The dark-haired male looked up. He was the most likely of them to respond, when the right buttons were pushed, that is. “I, uh-” Suki’s glare on her unlabeled boyfriend deepened, silencing him. “Never mind.”

Zuko frowned, his good eye squinting at his friend. “What?” His tone was sharper than he intended, his temper rising with every passing thought. He knew the play was a bad idea; just hearing the name of the troupe sent out warning signals. Zuko wasn’t surprised when the production began as horridly as it had, mischaracterizing everyone in the worst possible way. But it also highlighted every bad deed he had done - not only to the only friends he’d managed to make, but also the torment he caused to innocent people. Tui and La, he really was bad at being good, wasn’t he? His face found his hands, rubbing his skin up and down, tugging at the scarred flesh along his cheekbone. A groan left his lips as he flopped back into the sand, arms outstretched. He sounded far calmer this time as he exhaled a tiny flame. “Sorry,” he mumbled, staring up at the almost-full moon. “That play was just-”

“Infuriating?” Katara interrupted, breaking her gaze from the fire to look at the older boy lying beside her. Zuko’s hands were splayed behind her, his head lifting to meet her eyes, clearly startled by her comment.

“Uh...” He stared at her for a moment too long. “Yeah, that's probably the best word for it.”

“Well, I for one loved it!” Toph exclaimed, laughing at everyone’s brooding.

“Of course you did.” Aang finally broke his own silence, standing up from the rock he had been perched on. “At least they made you seem cool.”

Sokka watched the youngest of the group storm toward the house, head bent in a pitiful posture. A low whistle left his lips. “He’s pretty butt hurt that a girl played him.”

Katara’s face fell again, guilt clouding her mind once more. Aang’s sour mood was more her fault than the play’s now. He was so anxious about how he was portrayed, and how her counterpart treated his character. Her partial rejection clearly didn’t help his spirit.

“I don’t think that’s the main reason,” she mumbled, slowly rubbing her nails over her lips, enjoying the sharp scratching sensation. It distracted her from the memory replaying in her mind- Aang kissing her, her yelling at him, his tears.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Toph clearly knew something was bothering the waterbender; the way her feet shifted on the dirt ground to see her friend better, her blank eyes staring in Katara’s direction.

Sokka and Suki looked at each other, then at Katara. “Did something else happen?” Suki’s calm voice was as relaxing as the crackling fire, claiming Katara’s attention. “Is that what you mean?”

Even Zuko was looking at her now, his good eyebrow scrunched in worry. He pushed himself back into a sitting position, his shoulder now far closer to Katara. She could feel the heat radiating from him, soothing her mind just a touch more.
Was it worth telling them, though? Her brother would be disgusted by the thought in general, probably completely unhelpful. Toph would just make fun of her - or Aang- later. And Zuko... what would he think? His reactions were always surprising, unexpected compared to her assumptions. After the play, he might even blame himself for Aang’s hurt feelings.

Katara sighed, dropping her head and staring at her palms. No use in lying - Toph would call her out immediately. “Aang and I had a slight disagreement during the middle of the play. I think that’s what’s really bothering him.”

“Was it about you and Zuko?”

Both heads shot up in the small earthbender’s direction. Zuko’s cheeks tinted a warm red, golden eyes flicking toward the girl beside him. “What?” he croaked, voice sounding a little strangled.

“Yeah, what?” Katara echoed, though her tone sounded far less confused.

“I heard Aang mumbling to himself about it on our walk back.” The twelve-year-old shrugged, poking at the dirt with a stick. “Stupid play, stupid kissing, you know-” Toph’s tiny smirk was left unnoticed by everyone except Suki.

“Are you kidding me?” Katara groaned, burying her face in her hands. “He’s just- I can’t believe he thinks that stupid play meant anything!”

“Yeah-” Zuko looked a little more wary, lips pinched in a line as he glanced at Katara again. “Wait.” Realization hit him. “Did Aang really think we - uh, kissed?” His words came out choppy, embarrassment flooding his face as he tried not to look at the blue eyes now watching him.

Sokka sat up straighter, suddenly more interested in the conversation he had started. “Did you?”

“What? No!” they answered together, shifting just an inch away from each other.

“No, Sokka,” Katara began again, taking a deep breath. “We didn’t. But Aang refused to believe that. He had this whole fit about it outside the play.” Her hands were flailing now as she spoke, the back of her wrist nearly smacking Zuko multiple times. “I mean, he had the gall to try and make me say that he and I were together! Like that was the only thing that would make him feel better.”

On probably the fifth time she swung her arm toward Zuko’s face, he grabbed it, his warm hand tugging her wrist down beside her leg.

“Clearly you didn’t do that-” Suki started, watching Katara stare back at the tall firebender. “So, what did you do?” The brunette broke her gaze away from her wrist, the lingering touch of Zuko’s fingers leaving a burn far hotter than flame on her skin.

“I said I was confused,” she mumbled, remembering the interaction once more. “That this war left no room for me to think about relationships.” That was partially true. Of course she fantasized about it- who she would end up with, a happy ending she rarely allowed herself to dream of. But she had no time to act on those dreams, even if they did involve the Avatar.

“And?” Toph pressed again, her tone revealing she knew more than the others. “What did Aang do?”

Katara couldn’t even glare at the girl, her frustration seeping from her skin as she glanced at her brother, unsure how he would react to all of it. “Don’t make any of your stupid jokes,” she said firmly, ignoring the eyebrows raised in question. A sigh left her chapped lips, her fingers rising to scratch at the rough skin. “I don’t think Aang thought much when he did it-” Why was she defending him? She was upset, hurt, and angry. But he was still a kid. He didn’t know better. He’s only twelve. She had to keep reminding herself of that to reason with her anger.

Zuko’s shoulder brushed against hers. At some point, he must have inched closer during her rant. She glanced at him, her fingers pausing their assault on her cracking lips. “He’s just a kid. He didn’t know it would upset me as much as it did.” She was speaking more to herself than to them.

“What did he do?” Toph asked again, the annoyance wrapped in her words like a vice. Katara glared into the fire again.
“Aang kissed me after that. And then I pretty much scolded him.”

“What?!” Sokka was now standing, eyes wide as he stared over the fire at his baby sister. “He kissed you? You mean on the cheek, right? Like, okay-I-understand? In a ‘I totally accept this’ way, right?”

Katara shook her head, fingers rising back up to her lips - only for the motion to be stopped by a warm hand encircling her forearm, bringing it down beside her. “You’ll make yourself bleed,” was all Zuko said, his eyes glaring into the fire like it burned him. His grip never left her wrist, keeping it pinned to the ground like an anchor.

“Your lips!?” Sokka nearly shrieked, his hair splaying out of its ponytail as Suki yanked him back into his seat. “Are you serious? He defiled my sister!”

“Not the point, Snoozles,” Toph cut in. “So, Aang kissed you, you yelled at him, and now he’s pouting about it and acting like all of this was your fault. Right?” She didn’t need to see Katara to know that the girl in blue agreed with her. It was written in her heartbeat.

For a beat, everyone was silent. The shore in the distance called for Katara, and taking a page out of Aang’s book seemed far too tempting.

Smoke might as well have been coming out of Sokka’s ears as he stared at his sister, emotions of all kinds warping their way into his mind. Aang kissed Katara, his baby sister. After she told him she didn’t want to be with him. Sure, it would be cool to say that the Avatar was his brother-in-law, but that was Katara’s choice - and maybe his, if he didn’t like the guy.

Toph lounged back against the base of her rock, clearly enjoying the mess she had encouraged, mostly listening to Sokka’s reaction. Until she felt Zuko’s.

His heart was erratic, thumping in his chest harder than she had ever heard it. Pinpointing this emotion was hard - it boomed like thunder, but at the pace of the drum beats in the songs performers dance to. His heartbeat mixed with Katara’s every now and then as well, and it took her a moment to realize- Zuko was holding onto the waterbender’s wrist.

If Toph weren’t so focused on reading their emotions, she would have noticed sooner, but this was golden.
A smirk found its way to her lips as she stared at her favorite firebender.

Zuko was watching Katara out of the corner of his eye - the way she twitched at every face her brother made didn’t go unnoticed. He quickly picked up on her thoughts.

“It’s not your fault,” he leaned in, looking past her in the direction of the house, hoping Toph would struggle more to hear.

Blue eyes snapped to him as he pulled away, wide and disbelieving. “What?” she croaked, voice as quiet as his.

“Aang,” he said. Aang was the one at fault, the one putting this extra stress on her.“All of this, what he did-” his eyes flicked to her lips for half a beat. “His reaction after. All of that was his own doing. How you responded was not the cause of this.”

This was the most confident Katara had ever heard Zuko. How could she not believe him?

A hint of a smile graced her lips, but it was enough for the firebender.

Zuko’s heart thumped harder in his chest, faster than an ostrich horse. Toph’s smirk grew into a grin, her snicker barely concealed. None of them noticed Sokka standing up, a sour look on his face as he stared toward their temporary home.
Suki was the first to notice his presence disappear from her side, looking up when she heard him walking away.

“Sokka?”

Chapter Text

This was not how tonight was supposed to go.

Aang sat back in his room, staring up at the intricate gold details engraved in the exposed frames. Katara was his girl, his. And yet she scolded him, told him she was confused. What did she have to be confused about? He was the Avatar! He’s the most powerful bender alive.

He thought back to when they first began their travels, when Aunt Wu told Katara that she would end up with a powerful bender. Sure, maybe he shouldn’t have eavesdropped, but come on! This was Katara’s love life, of course he wanted to know too. She’s supposed to be with him. A powerful bender. Right?

“Sokka, just drop it!” Aang could hear Katara shouting at her brother from downstairs, probably just some silly fight like always.

“No! I won’t. This needs to be discussed, Katara.” Sokka rarely sounded this angry, this controlled. Aang sat up, wondering what had happened to upset his best friend this much.

Another voice, quieter and far more muffled by the floorboards, spoke next, but it was clear to Aang that Zuko was a part of the conversation too.

Of course he was. The firebender was always around now, interlacing himself with each and every one of Aang’s friends. Normally it wouldn’t bother the airbender, Zuko was his friend too after all. But that play rubbed him the wrong way, and jealousy was running far too heavy in his veins right now to smooth his own rising temper.

A heavy knock interrupted his thoughts. “It’s open.” He wondered if it was Katara, coming to apologize for this evening. His heart rate soared as the heavy door opened slowly and he got a glimpse of dark skin and blue eyes, only for it to drop again when he realized it was her brother instead. Sokka’s face was pinched, as if he had eaten fire flakes again.
Suki stood behind Sokka, with her hair undone from its usual style, making her look far more mature than normal. She too had a serious expression, eyebrows knitted together as if she was worried about something.

“Did something happen?” Aang stood up from his bed, a gust of wind helping him move faster.

Sokka looked at Suki before exhaling a frustrated breath. “Kind of.” He dropped onto the plush bedding, looking down at his hands. “Look, Aang, Suki and I need to talk to you about something. And you need to fully hear us out before you interrupt, okay?”

Aang swallowed harshly, nodding as he moved to sit beside the older boy. “What’s going on?” Suki sat on the other side of him, not beside Sokka like normal.

“Aang,” her voice was soft, motherly, not like how Katara would talk to him. “We know you kissed Katara today—”
“She told you?” He didn’t know whether to be anxious or hopeful, his gray eyes shooting to look to either side of him. His cheeks flushed red before he looked over to Sokka, his sullen face making the young boy worry more. “I thought you were okay with it? You even said that you thought she liked me too.”

“What?” Sokka’s head snapped up, brows furrowed.

“In Makapu Village—when you told me to go for Katara..?” Aang felt more uncertain now. Sokka had never mentioned a name specifically, but who else could he have meant?

Sokka stared at the boy for a long beat. “I was talking about the girl with the weird hair.” He spoke slowly, as if trying to control himself.

“Meng? But—I thought—”

Sokka sighed, shaking his head. “This isn’t the point.”

“Then what is?”

________________________________________________________

Katara sat out by the shore, her feet buried under the damp sand. Sokka had adamantly refused to leave Aang alone, and she knew how the conversation was going to end. The Avatar was a known pacifist, but he was stubborn when his heart was in it. If he ended up running away just days before the comet, days before they had to defeat Ozai, it would be all her fault.

“You’re spiraling.” Zuko bumped his shoulder against hers once more, gaining her attention. “Stop blaming yourself.”
“I’m not—” Her words were caught in her throat, her bright blue eyes staring into amber ones. Zuko was smiling at her in a way she had never seen before. A calm and sure smile. Confidence. Something she had rarely seen from her favorite firebender. “Blaming myself..”

Zuko raised his good eyebrow, his smile now quirking up into a smirk. “Sure.”

Amber and blue. Fire and water. Opposites in all the right ways.

Katara broke away from the spell first, looking back out toward the shore. A sigh left her lips as she spoke, her voice just barely over a whisper. “What would you have done?”

Zuko hadn’t looked away from her as he sucked in a breath. “What if Aang had kissed me instead?” That earned him the prettiest sound he had ever heard. A startled laugh bubbled from Katara’s lips, her head dropping onto her knees to look over at him again.

“I mean if anyone kissed you—” the confidence switched with his slightly awkward but proud grin, and she couldn’t help but grin back. “What if—Mai kissed you again?” She knew about his past relationship with the brooding girl, though she always wondered how deep those feelings truly fell.

“Same context?” Zuko mused, tilting his head in thought. He didn’t wait for her response, taking his turn to look away. Watching the water crash into the tide, he hummed. “I think I would have done the same as you, honestly. I like Mai, truly.”

The words made Katara’s heart sink for some reason she didn’t care to understand, a frown gracing her lips as she watched the firebender.

“But—not in the way I’m expected to, you know?” He looked back at her now, taking her frown as confusion. “I mean, she’s great and all, but with Mai it feels like I can’t smile. I have to be the Fire Nation’s prince. Not Zuko.”
He stared at her now, hoping that his explanation was enough, because he didn’t know how much farther he could go without saying more than he wanted to.

Katara blinked. He had just explained her own feelings toward Aang without even trying. Worded it so perfectly. “Would you feel bad..?”

“Of course!” Zuko was shocked at the question before he remembered that he was supposed to make her feel better. “I mean, yeah—what you did wasn’t a complete rejection, but it still feels that way. Hurting someone’s feelings never makes you feel good.”

Katara didn’t respond this time, looking back out toward the sea, soaking in the moonlight. Something about Zuko’s presence helped her, calmed her mind, and made her feel safe. She leaned into him slowly, giving him time to pull away if he wanted to.

But Zuko would never pull away from her. The waterbender beside him could do absolutely anything to him and he probably would end up thanking her. He pushed his shoulder back into her own, as if to say that silently.
“You know.” He started, thinking of a way to comfort the girl beside him. “If we all survive this war, win this war.” Zuko could feel her eyes on him now, her cheek was pretty much resting on his shoulder as she turned to face him better. Tui and La, those blue eyes were both the worst and best distraction he had ever seen. “You still aren’t obligated to give him an answer.”

They both knew Aang well enough to assume he wouldn’t get the full hint, even with Sokka’s ongoing talk with him. Even if Katara flat-out said no, Zuko had a feeling the kid would still push his luck.

“He’s going to expect one though.” Katara sighed, dropping her head onto his shoulder, her gaze leaving him once more. She sighed, shifting closer to the warmth that was Zuko. “What am I supposed to do?”

His heart felt like it was pounding in his chest, unable to look at the beautiful person beside him, willingly using him for comfort. Zuko coughed, mussing his hair with his other hand. “Well,” the question he was about to ask made his lungs squeeze in his chest, he was so close to an unintentional rejection. “Do you want to be with him? In that way at least?”
Katara had never been asked that question by anyone other than Aang himself. Without the fear of hurting his feelings, she could actually think about the answer that was always in the back of her mind.

“Aang is great. He’s the Avatar. He’s so caring and kind.” Zuko couldn’t look at her, not yet, not when he didn’t know what expression he would make.

“But—when I think of what I feel with him... compared to the few other crushes I have had.” Katara sucked in a breath, as if saying it out loud was too cruel. “He really is more like a brother to me than anything.”

Of course she had to quote that stupid version of herself. The crybaby that the Fire Nation viewed her as, the one that fell in love with any man with a pulse. Except for the Avatar, apparently.

Zuko couldn’t help the relieved chuckle that escaped him, twisting his head to look at the brown expanse of curls that was now draped over him. “Maybe don’t say that part to him, not while that wound is still fresh.”

That joke landed him with an elbow to the ribs, Katara’s laugh echoing against the shimmering waters. “How helpful.”
Silence fell between them for a moment, not the awkward kind like when the group was walking back to the beach house. No, this silence was comforting, welcomed as the two stared out into the ocean’s expanse. Stars reflected against the glassy water, glittering in the dark that surrounded them.

This felt far more intimate than any other conversation Katara had ever had. Comforting in a way she never knew was possible. She had to break the silence soon, otherwise she believed that whatever spell Zuko had attached to him would trap her to his side forever. Not that she truly minded.

“What upset you?” Zuko tensed when she spoke, his head tilting ever so slightly to look at her through the corner of his eye. The moonlight haloed his profile, and Katara found herself caught off guard by his beauty. “I—uh, mean—during the play. Your mood switched when we left..”

Zuko watched her for a moment, confused by the red that now dusted her dark skin. “I just... didn’t like the me that I saw.”

“But that wasn’t the real you—”

He interrupted her, knowing what she was going to say. “But I did all of those things. Burned Suki’s village, hunted you guys, betrayed Uncle... It may not have been my words, but it was my actions. Everything they showed, I did. I’m just as bad as they made me seem.” Just like my father, he wanted to add.

“Zuko.” He looked at her when he felt the absence against his side, watching her as she moved to kneel in front of him. Her gorgeous blue eyes were filled with concern, and maybe a little determination as she reached up toward his face.
Just like the last time, he didn’t flinch away from her touch, welcoming it with closed eyes. He felt the pressure of her gentle touch on his scarred side, a soothing motion rubbing against his temple just beside his eye.

“You are good.” She said it with so much conviction that he really wanted to believe her. “Everything you have done in the past has been forgiven. You fixed it all when you joined us, when you decided to help Aang.”

Zuko opened his eyes again, surprised to see how close she was to his face. “But—” a large part of him wanted to argue. But the blue consumed him, honest and true. Her confidence was unmatched, unwavering. How could he ever argue with her?

“You are more than good, Zuko.”

It took everything in him not to kiss her there. To not be like Aang was just hours prior. She was so close, all he would have to do was lean forward. So he did; his forehead bumped into hers and he sighed.

He wouldn’t kiss her, not yet. Zuko was a man of honor after all. But he could be just the slightest bit greedy. The hand he wasn’t leaning on raised, cupping the back of her head, keeping her from pulling away.

“I think you’re the only person that’s said that and made me believe it.” He murmured, his warm breath fanning over her cheeks.

Katara’s breath caught in her chest, blue eyes meeting amber ones. Her cheeks burned, heart hammered in her chest.
So this is what it felt like.

Something soft brushed against her cheek; she only registered it as a kiss after he was pulling away from her, pushing himself to stand. Sand fell from his red clothes as Zuko offered her a hand.
“Come on. After today, you need some rest.”

Katara happily took his hand, allowing him to pull her up beside him.

“I think we all do..”