Work Text:
Even though it was close to midnight, the Fire Nation's late summer air was thick and sticky enough to chew. Katara shuffled through pages of notes. "Okay," she said. "So we're agreed on the new contract terms for the whale hunters in the southern seas?"
"Mmmmhm," Zuko said, rubbing his eyes. "You've beaten me into submission."
"Don't be like that," she murmured, rolling the scrolls up. "This will be beneficial for both nations."
"Let's hope the Council agrees," he said. "Is that it?"
"Yes, although I still think - "
He planted his hand on top of the scrolls, stopping her from opening another one. "No," he said. "Too tired for thinking."
She grinned at him. "All right, fine, we can be done for the night."
They started straightening up, filing the scrolls for the meeting the next day into a lacquered box, stuffing the rest into his desk.
"So," Katara said. "Um. I have something I have to tell you."
"Mmm?" He was swirling his tea in the cup, studying it as if unsure whether to finish it or toss it. "Whassat?" He yawned.
"Zuko, pay attention. I have to tell you something."
He blinked. "Oh, okay. What?"
"Do you remember how you didn't think you were going to be able to come to Ember Island last month? When everybody was going to be there?"
"Yes?"
"And then you came after all, and we took that walk on the beach together?"
"Ye-e-e-s?" he said slowly, setting the tea down undrunk.
"And I didn't have my tea with me because I wasn't expecting you to turn up?"
He gaped for a moment. "You said it would be fine."
"I thought it would be fine, but - " She sighed and tugged at her hair. "I'm pregnant."
He stared at her.
"Say something," she added after a moment of silence, biting her lip.
He nodded, brows pinched over the bridge of his nose. "Well," he said heavily. "I can really only see one thing to do. Katara, we're going to have to get married."
She stared at him for a moment, then bent a snowball out of his abandoned tea and threw it at him. "You dork," she said. "I was worried."
He'd ducked to avoid it and lay sprawled on his cushions, chortling to himself. The three gold beads in his hair, one for each of the three children they already had, glinted in the lamplight next to the silver bead she'd threaded into his hair on their wedding day.
"Sorry," he snickered. "Sorry, sweetheart. You just looked so serious." He dissolved into snorts again.
She crossed her arms and humphed. "Hanging out with my brother too much," she muttered. "That's what you're doing."
He cleared his throat, composed himself, and sat up. "Seriously, though," he said. "You were worried? Really?"
"Well," she said. "We did agree to stop after Kyan."
"We did. But you want to keep this one?"
She nodded. "I do. I really do. You're not upset?"
He combed his fingers through the ends of her hair. "Of course not. You were just so miserable with him."
"I was nine months pregnant at the height of monsoons and throwing up whenever the wind changed," she said. "Of course I was miserable." She settled a hand low on her belly. "This one will come in the spring. It should be much better this time."
"We haven't had a spring baby," he remarked.
"We'll have one for each season now," Katara said, and smiled at him.
He leaned over and kissed her, taking his time over it. "I'm happy," he assured her. "I am. Are you?"
"I am," she said firmly, sliding her arms around his neck. "But this will definitely be the last one. We're already outnumbered."
"Good," he mumbled, nuzzling his way down her neck. "You know how nervous the Fire Sages get with each new baby."
Katara did know. Something about succession battles, which she would have pooh-poohed except she'd heard how her husband and her sister-in-law had been raised, and her father-in-law and Iroh for that matter. She and Sokka had always been like seal-wolf littermates, but Fire Nation royalty were like baby sharks trying to eat each other in the womb. And apparently that wasn't unusual in Fire Nation history.
They were going to leave that firmly in the past. No matter how antsy the Fire Sages got.
Then Zuko's hand slid over her hip in a familiar way, and she forgot about the Fire Sages.
Some time later, he dropped his head back on the cushions and said breathlessly, "Maybe we should stop."
She looked down from her position sprawled on top of him. "What, are you afraid you'll get me pregnant?" she asked.
He swatted her butt. She let out a laughing squeal.
He was right, though. It was late and as much as she wanted to continue what they were doing, she was also exhausted and the next day was going to be an early start. She sighed and rolled off him. "Okay, okay, let's get to bed."
"Oh, there was something else I wanted to tell you," she said, as they straightened their clothes and got to their feet.
"You're not having twins, are you?" he said warily.
She yelped. "Don't tempt fate. No, I've been in correspondence with Pamiuq from the Northern Water Tribe. You remember her, right?"
"The experimental healer?"
"That's the one." She went to the grand entrance of Zuko's study and stuck her head out. "Narong, Thaksin, we're done for the night."
"Very good, Your Majesties," said the personal guards standing outside his door. "Have a nice night."
"You, too." She shut the big door again.
Zuko opened the small door behind a pillar and led them into the passageway that wended through the palace walls.
"So, Pamiuq," he prompted, sliding his arm around her waist and conjuring a flame to burn in the palm if his free hand.
"Oh! Yes, she thinks she might have a birth control solution. A permanent one, so I won't have to worry about whether I packed the tea or if I drank it in time or what."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Mmmhmm. It's a very simple operation. Just a little snip, kind of."
"Oh, good. That sounds like it wouldn't be too hard on you."
"That's the thing," she said, pushing open the secret door to their quarters. "It wouldn't be on me."
He paused. "Wha - where - uh - "
She giggled.
"Why . . . don't we talk about that tomorrow," he said.
"It's really nothing to be worried about," she said.
He waited until they'd both changed into their sleeping robes before asking, "Is this revenge for earlier?"
She put her arms around his waist and looked up into his face. "Maybe a little. But it is a real thing, and nothing's going to get amputated or incapacitated except your ability to get me pregnant again."
He sighed. "Tell me all about it tomorrow. You need your sleep."
"So do you, Fire Lord. With four children, we're going to need it." She slipped out of his arms and backed toward the bed, holding onto his hand. "Come to bed."
He came to bed.
FINIS