Summary: They have had their good times and their bad. The war has ended, and new relationships are thriving. Katara and Zuko are living happily as a married couple. That happiness can only last for so long. Arguments ensue and stress sets in, but love prevails over everything. This is their story…
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, themes, or quotes. Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs strictly to Nickelodeon Studios and its ingenious creators. This story is written only for private entertainment purposes and no copywrite infringement is intended. Thank you and enjoy the story!
Chapter 1 – Confessions
It was daybreak at the Fire Nation Palace. So calm, so peaceful. Every day has been the same since Avatar Aang had defeated Fire Lord Ozai during the one hundred years' return of Sozin's Comet four summers ago. Servants and house keepers are wandering the corridors, double-checking to see if everything was satisfactory for their new Lord and Lady's awakening. Masters and Apprentices head out to the courtyard to practice. Commanders and other soldiers begin their routes, protecting everything from the smallest turtle-duck to the largest komodo-rhino. Cooks begin to prepare the day's beginning meal and carefree laughter can be heard throughout the halls. It was just another ordinary day.
Meanwhile, in the Fire Lord and Lady's chambers, two figures lie in bed, breathing heavily with sleep—one of them in which will be waking quite soon; or "rising with the sun", as he had once put it, long before he had even dreamt of the future he now lives today. Never had he dreamed that he would become Fire Lord of this great nation, nor had he imagined joining sides with the Avatar in his quest to defeat Fire Lord Ozai—his father, of all people—only then to marry a Master Waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe: Katara. The people of the Fire Nation had surprisingly no negative reaction towards the Fire Lord's choice in a bride. They, in fact, welcomed her with open arms, happy to accept a marriage of two of the world's nations. Natural opposites: Fire and Water. After all, the Waterbender was the one who defeated the insane Princess Azula when he had taken a lightning bolt for her and was severely wounded during the Agni Kai between siblings. The reaction from his people was the only thing that had truly surprised the young Fire Lord, aside from his realization that he was in love with his natural opposite, only to find that she mirrored those feelings. It only took the end of a one hundred-year-old war and a near-death experience to realize it.
Zuko rolled gently so as to not wake his slumbering wife, making it so that he was facing the sunlight that shown through the curtains hanging over the balcony that overlooked the Capital City. His right eye opened slowly, followed by the other a second later. He closed both again and took a deep breath before sitting up slowly. He reached his arms above his head in a long stretch, feeling the lingering ache in his muscles from the spar that was held the other day with his wife. He had taken his defeat quite well, but the ache was worse today than before. He quickly contemplated the thought of asking her to heal the bruised muscles of his back and neck, but quickly dismissed the thought, as it would show a weakness for pain.
With the thought of her and with one last glance at the rising sun, Zuko turned slowly to look at his wife. She looked quite peaceful as she slept and Zuko took note of this: She wore her hair loose; a couple curls draped over her shoulder, and she had both of her hands under her cheek, cradling her face against the pillow. She, too, was facing the balcony, the sun that now shown through the curtains a fraction brighter. She began doing this a few months after their marriage and the thought of his Firebending habits rubbing off on her made him chuckle. He hadn't noticed at first, but the low sound had awakened her.
Katara's eyes opened slowly and she gazed at Zuko, blinking sleep away. "Good morning," she said, smiling.
"Good morning. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I was just thinking and a funny thought came to mind," he answered.
"Oh, no, it's okay. I needed to get up anyway. What was your funny thought?" she asked, yawning.
"Oh, I was just thinking about how being Fire Nation is rubbing off on you, my lady," he chuckled again at the thought before kissing her cheek.
"Well that's only because I'm married to a Firebender, my lord," she smiled. Zuko hated his formal title. That hatred was even more so when his wife addressed him that way. He found it quite annoying, even though he knew that she did it as a joke.
"You know I hate that," he said, glaring.
"Yeah, I'm aware. You know I'm just kidding, Zuko. It's just fun to annoy you sometimes. You never get that angry look on your face that would scare even the most vicious platypus-bear anymore. It's just, sometimes, I really do miss the Good Old Days," Katara chuckled.
"Yeah. You may have liked the 'Old Days', but I sure didn't…" Zuko murmured, looking back at the balcony curtains.
"Zuko," Katara said. She used that same tone of voice that she uses when she is being serious. Zuko knew this and he returned his gaze to her.
"What?" he asked in a low voice.
"I love you," she said, smiling an innocent smile.
"Love you, too," he answered, looking away from her again. She placed her hand on his cheek, coaxing him to face her again, and she reached up to kiss his lips. To her pleasure, he responded immediately.
Just as the kiss was starting to evolve into something more passionate, a quick rap sounded at the door.
"No privacy!" Zuko huffed. Katara giggled as she got up from the bed. She walked across the room and opened the door to one of the servants holding a scroll out to her.
"Sorry to disturb you, my lady, but a message has just arrived for you and Fire Lord Zuko from a Lord Sokka and Lady Suki of the Southern Water Tribe," the servant stated quietly. He bowed low before offering the scroll to her.
She doubted that she would ever get used to the formalities with the servants, but quickly dismissed the thought. "No trouble at all," Katara answered casually, taking the scroll. "Thank you. You may resume your duties."
"Thank you, my lady," the servant said, bowing again. He turned to walk down the hall as Katara began to shut the door.
Zuko had gotten up and out of the bed and was just finishing tying the knot on his robes when Katara turned to face the room again. He noticed the scroll in her hands.
"What's that?" he asked, eyeing Katara as she removed the ribbon and hesitantly opened it.
"A letter from Sokka and Suki…" She trailed off, focusing on what she was reading. Zuko sat back down at the edge of the bed, waiting.
Katara's eyes suddenly got very large and a small gasp escaped her lips. Just as Zuko was beginning to get worried, she smiled.
"What is it? What did it say?" he asked, looking at Katara, completely confused. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what the letter had said. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.
"Suki's pregnant!" she squealed. "And… They're having a baby!" she quickly finished, her gaze switching back and forth between the letter and her husband.
Zuko's eyes became very large with surprise. "Wow, really? When did they find that out?" His assumptions had been completely off. It wasn't bad news. It was good news—very good news.
"Sokka said that when Toph and Aang were there, making the routes, Toph said something about Suki having two heartbeats," she answered, scanning the letter for more information. "He said that when they went to see the healers, they were told that she was expecting a baby. Wow! That is so amazing!" she squealed again.
"Good for them. I'm sure Sokka's pleased with himself," Zuko smiled, chuckling. He was happy to see his wife's reaction to this news and of becoming an aunt. Although, deep down, he himself wished that this was their news to share.
It was a few months after their first year of marriage. Katara had become pregnant and had suffered a miscarriage. A stillbirth. A son. A baby boy. The midwives' best guess was that it was the blending of opposite elements. A waterbender and a firebender creating a child together was strange. It had never been done before. It was the same as an airbender trying to conceive with an earthbender. It was just not possible. Most of the children born in the world had been either of the same nation or of two of the other nations, never with its natural opposite. The fight for domination between the elements' spirits had put the babe under an incredible amount of stress, which later became apparent when Katara gave birth. The only thing that was completely odd was the fact that she had gone through a full term of nine months and never showed any sign of complications. She even went into labor on her exact predicted due date. The last few months of the pregnancy are when the babe's true element is decided; if he or she is destined to be a bender. This was what the Spirits were fighting over. At least, that's what they were told—in theory. After, the couple was told that they had to wait a while until they were able to try again. But, ever since, it seemed impossible for Katara to conceive, despite their best efforts. She had been pretty upset about it, but lately she had been happier and more joyful about almost everything. Zuko did not want to ruin that with his pessimistic thoughts.
"I wonder if Uncle has heard the news yet. We have to meet him soon for our morning tea, anyway. We should tell him. He'll be so excited!" Katara said quickly as she headed for the washroom to bathe and get dressed. Zuko knew that she would take a while and decided to start dressing also.
When she returned, he was in the process of pulling his hair back into a top knot, but he was struggling quite a bit due to the lingering pain in his back and arms. He was cursing inwardly at himself for doing away with the whole tradition of servants catering to and staying attentive to the dressings of the royal family. At the time, it had seemed appropriate because after so long of doing it himself, it would just seem odd having someone else doing it for them… Either way, he was still having issues with it. Katara noticed quickly.
"A little help?" he asked, giving her a pleading look.
"Sure. I know exactly what the problem is. Why Fire Lord Zuko, are you admitting to being a sore loser?" she said, smirking at him from the doorway, giving him a faux pitied look. Zuko dropped his hands from his hair, giving up with a loud huff. He frowned and nodded slowly, wincing at the slight pain in his stiff neck. He did not look at her.
Katara chuckled and turned back into the washroom only to return back to the room with a pitcher full of water. She walked across the room towards Zuko and placed the pitcher gently on the bedside table. She quickly bended the water out of the pitcher in a stream and it covered her hand in what looked like a glove. She placed her hand against the middle of his back as well as his lower back, his shoulders, ending with his neck. Every time her hand came in contact with his skin, that water would glow a faint whitish-blue. When she was finished and the water had returned to its transparent color, she bended the water back into the pitcher quietly without a word. Zuko let out a satisfied groan, rolling his shoulders back without any aches or pain. Katara quickly pulled his hair back into the top knot that he had failed to achieve minutes earlier.
As she tied off the ribbon and placed his Fire Lord's royal hair dressing at the top of it, she stood up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "All you had to do was ask." She placed a quick kiss on his cheek and grabbed his hand, pulling them both out of the chambers in the direction of the courtyard to meet Iroh.
It was on rare occasions that Iroh came back to the Fire Nation to visit his nephew and new niece, but every time that he did decide to come, intent on only staying a few days—much to Katara's dismay—they would hold little get-togethers and drink tea. It was becoming a tradition for every time he visited. Katara loved having Iroh as company. Although, at first, she found it quite strange to call him "Uncle" instead of "Iroh" or "General Iroh", but after he insisted, she kind of just got used to it. She loved hearing all of the stories that he would tell including that of old Fire Nation legends (which Zuko usually dozed off in the middle of. He had heard them all before) and newer stories of his tea shop in Ba Sing Se. Just having Iroh there, it seemed to complete the Palace; even more so than it seems when it is just her and her husband.
When they reached the garden, Iroh was seated pleasantly and very neatly on the ground with all of the tea making implements in front of him. He was just beginning to poor the first cup when they came within sight. He smiled as he noticed them approaching.
"Good morning, Uncle," Katara said politely. She took her seat in front of him as he handed her the cup of steaming tea.
"Good morning, Lady Katara. And good morning to you, as well, young Fire Lord," he said as Zuko sat down next to Katara, looking back and forth between the two.
Sighing and shaking his head, Zuko answered gently, "Good morning, Uncle." Iroh handed him his cup of tea and began to poor his own.
"So, Uncle, is there any news of your tea shop?" Katara asked, making conversation.
"Actually, there is not. The Jasmine Dragon has not had as much publicity as it used to. After all, the war is over and the people of Ba Sing Se are free to roam the world as they please. I still have a few recurring customers, but not many. I expect that more people will come back and visit though, as we do live in a world of peace, now," Iroh said, smiling at his nephew. Zuko gave a brief smile back.
"You are right, Uncle Iroh. We do live in a state of peace, now," Katara said, twining her fingers with Zuko's.
"What about you two? Have you any news?" Iroh asked, taking a polite sip from his tea.
"We personally don't have any news, Uncle, but we do in fact have some other news to share…" Katara trailed off, getting excited again.
"And what is this other news?" Iroh asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Zuko and I were informed this morning that Suki and my brother, Sokka—you remember them, don't you? You were at their wedding? Anyway, we received a message from them this morning, and we found out that they are expecting! Suki is pregnant!" Katara said, attempting to refrain from squealing as she did before.
"First of all, I do remember your brother and his bride, Katara. I may be old, but my memory has not completely left me, yet," he said, smiling. "Second, that is terrific news. The Southern Water Tribe is doing well."
"I think I'm more excited than they are," Katara answered, returning the smile.
"I'm sure they are just as excited," Iroh said, nodding.
Katara was so ecstatic that her tea was forgotten and was left to get cold in her hands with only a few sips taken from it. She took another small sip—not knowing of its new temperature—and noticed the sudden coolness of her tea and flinched in surprise. "Ugh! Tea is not good cold." Iroh nodded in agreement, saying nothing. Zuko politely took the cup from her hands, held it in his for a second or two, and when a light steam rose from the liquid again, he gently handed her the cup back.
"Thanks," she said, smiling at him, taking another sip, this time with much more pleasure. He gave a brief smile back and quickly returned to his private thoughts, looking away from her. Iroh smiled at the small exchange.
Staying completely silent, Zuko drank his tea, staring past his uncle and over to the turtle-duck pond. Iroh noticed this and decided to ask: "What is troubling you, my nephew? You have been silent the majority of our conversation."
The sudden question snapped Zuko out of his reverie and he answered quietly, "Nothing is troubling me, Uncle. If you'll excuse me…" He placed his cup on the ground and began thanking Iroh for the tea when Katara stopped him.
"Zuko, what's—"
"Nothing is wrong, Katara," he cut in, not letting her finish.
She turned her head up when he stood, hoping for a quick peck, but all she received was a light kiss on her forehead. With that, Zuko turned and walked back through the palace doors. Looking after him she said, "He's a terrible liar." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Uncle Iroh."
Iroh smiled. "There is nothing to apologize for, Katara. As you know, my nephew has suffered much, and he still finds it difficult to discuss what he is feeling; even if it is his wife of three years that asks."
Katara sighed, standing up. "Thank you for the tea, Uncle. It was delicious."
"You are very welcome, Katara."
"Will I see you tomorrow?"
"No, I'm afraid not. I'm sorry, but I really do need to be getting back to my tea shop."
"Well, until next time, then?" Katara asked, smiling.
"Until next time, my lady," he answered, nodding once in what looked like a bow. "Go speak with him."
With that said, and after one final farewell, she turned and walked back into the palace in search of her husband.
After both searches in his study and in the throne room ended in vain, Katara finally found Zuko in their chambers. He was standing on the balcony, looking out at the Capital City, his back facing her.
When she approached him, he did not move. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his shoulder blade. His entire body felt tense, stiff.
Placing a light kiss to his shoulder, she asked, "What's bothering you?"
"Nothing," he lied, still staring out into the city. His eyes scanned the buildings as if he was looking for one specific thing to look at, something to capture his attention; something that was wrong; something to change the conversation, and quickly.
She squeezed around his waist. "Zuko, I've known you long enough to know when something is upsetting you. I'm your wife for Spirits' sake! Please. Tell me?"
"I can't," he said, breaking out of her grasp with ease. He turned and walked back through the curtains and into the bedroom. Katara followed.
"And why not?" she asked.
Zuko sat down at the edge of the bed, burying his face in hands. She stood in front of him, her knees almost touching his. He felt her gaze on him, begging for an answer he did not want to give. When he didn't speak, she tried again.
"Zuko? Why not?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
He sighed, "Because telling you would only make you upset, and I don't want that." He still held his face in his hands, refusing to look at her.
She kneeled in front of him, her knees mere inches from his feet, and tried to pry his hands from his face, failing miserably. "I don't care. Please tell me," she said quietly.
Zuko sighed, dropping his hands; he finally looked at her, staring into her eyes. He held her gaze for a moment before looking to the floor.
"My entire life has been filled with strife. You know that. First everything with my father, my mother's disappearance. Then there was my involvement in the war—hunting Aang; joining your group; Sozin's Comet. And then there was my coronation for when I became Fire Lord, and then there was being with you. Things were looking up. It was as if the Spirits had said, Hey, Zuko! Here's the life that you've always wanted! But then, everything came crashing down when the riots started…" He looked away.
Katara blinked. "The assassination attempts? What do they have to do with anything? I thought you handled all of that…?"
Zuko stole a quick glance to her face. "Let me finish!"
She nodded. "I'm sorry. Go on."
"The riots started. People came out into the streets screaming that they wanted me dead! They broke into our home, Katara. You remember that? Hearing the shattering windows and broken down doors in the middle of the night? The screams?"
"Yes, I remember," she whispered.
"They haunted my dreams, Katara. They still do. You don't know because you're always sleeping so heavily when they happen. I wake up in a cold sweat, shivering. But I don't understand why that is because I always feel so hot—too hot. I always feel like I am about to burst into flames, combust or something. My hands are clammy, my mouth is dry, and I feel as though I could vomit."
"Does this still happen?"
Zuko shook his head slowly. "Not as much as it used to, no. But it still happens, and when it does... It's bad. Really bad."
"Why didn't you tell me about this? How often do they happen?"
"I don't know, Katara! That's not the point!" Zuko shouted, his hands weaving themselves into his hair, nearly tearing it out by the roots.
"Then what is?" Katara asked quietly.
Zuko huffed. "Every time something good happens in my life, something has to ruin it."
Katara's jaw dropped. "What?"
He inhaled deeply. "Every time something good happens—or makes me happy—something just has to come and ruin it. Every time!"
Katara placed her hands on his knees in an attempt to calm him down. She felt the heat radiating off of him and was afraid his clothing would catch fire. She moved her hands back and forth across his knees, soothing.
Zuko took a deep breath and continued, still not meeting her eyes, his hands hiding his face. "Then we got rid of the riots. The threats stopped coming and everything was back to normal. We were happy again. And then, you brought me into the library, and told me we were expecting a baby…" he chuckled, the most optimistic sound reaching Katara's ears as he spoke. "When you told me that, I—I can't even express how happy I was. I'd never expected to be that excited about being a father, especially due to my upbringing. But I was. I was excited, eager to be a father. I had finally thought that everything was going to be okay in my life—that all of the bad things had stopped, gone away. But I was wrong…" He let out a heavy sigh, like he was having trouble breathing.
"Zuko? It's okay," Katara said gently, placing a hand on his arm. Her other hand came up to loosen his from his hair. "Talk to me."
He took a deep breath, meeting her gaze. "When you read that letter, and told me Sokka and Suki were expecting, all I could think about was your miscarriage. Seeing you so excited about Suki reminded me of how you were when you told me that you were pregnant. I remembered how excited you were when we told Uncle, and when you were the one writing messages to family. You were practically glowing with happiness; with carrying my child. Our child.
"But then, all I could think about was how upset you were when you were informed of the stillbirth. And how upset I was. Our baby had died. Our son… In a way, I blame myself for that happening. It was my fault you got pregnant in the first place. And now, you can't even get pregnant. Honestly, how many times had we tried after that? I'll answer for you: too many. You can't conceive again. It's too obvious. Having that miscarriage did something to your insides; messed you up or something. That's because of me. It's my fault; all my fault. If you were married off with another Water Tribe man, a man of your own element, the baby wouldn't have been put under all of that stress. But you chose me, for reasons I don't even know, and now it's becoming clear that it's because of me! If I wasn't of Fire Nation blood, with such hatred in my veins from my destructive element…" He took another deep breath, a sob escaping him. "If you were married to a Water Tribe man, you would probably be so much better off. You would be happy, with a bunch of children running around. You would have everything you've always wanted. But, because of me—"
Katara grasped his shoulders tightly, ducking her head so she could see his face. "Zuko. You did nothing wrong. Nothing is your fault. You have to realize that. And I don't want a Water Tribe man! That's why I chose you!" she stressed, squeezing him so he could get the message. "Don't ever think what happened to our baby was because of you—ever!"
Zuko swallowed the lump in his throat. "When you read that letter, the only thing I could think was how I wished that that was our news to share; that you were pregnant with my child. Our baby. But I know that can never happen. I am happy for Sokka and Suki. I am. I swear. But I still just wish…" His voice trailed off, cracking in a couple places during his last sentence. There were tears in his eyes, threatening to fall, and they were reflected in Katara's eyes. His broken heart became hers.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a tight embrace. He fought the tears that now stung his eyes and his entire body shook with every breath that he took. Katara was stunned. She had not known how badly that incident had hurt him emotionally. Personally, she had almost forgotten. He apparently remembered enough for the both of them.
Zuko was coming close to hyperventilation and Katara hushed him, rubbing his back in calming circles. She had never seen Zuko like this. In fact, she had never even seen him cry before in her life. If he ever did, he did it somewhere she couldn't see, couldn't hear. She hushed him again as another shudder went through his body.
After a few minutes, his breathing returned to a normal pace. She continued to hush him and rub his back soothingly as if he were a small child who had just awoke from a terrible nightmare. In truth, this was a nightmare. When she felt him stop shaking, she turned her head slightly and kissed him on the cheek before returning her head to his shoulder, her chin resting there gently.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were feeling this way?" she asked quietly.
She felt him shake his head. "I didn't know how to. You had seemed so happy lately… I didn't want to ruin it your good mood."
She let him out of her embrace and grasped his face in between her hands. "Zuko, I love you. With all of my heart. Nothing will ever change that. I don't care what it is, if something is bothering you, you need to tell me. I hate seeing you like this, okay?" She punctuated her sentence by kissing him on the lips as if to prove her point, wiping the tears from his cheeks with her thumbs. More tears followed.
She let go of his face and he sniffed again. She looked at him with a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay?" she asked, worried, tilting her head so she could see his eyes. He was staring down at the space between his feet as if he was trying to memorize the patterns of the intricate flooring. He nodded, leaning forward to gently capture her lips with his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. They broke apart in need for air.
He pressed his forehead against hers, breathing deeply. "I love you, Katara," he whispered.
"I love you, too. I always will," she replied, hugging his shoulders.
After a few moments, he finally spoke.
"What time is it?" he suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
She quickly glanced at the spark candle on the bedside table. "Looks like a little after noon. Why? Do you have any meetings today?" she asked.
"Just a few. If it's after noon, I should probably get down to the conference room now," he answered. He stood up and started to stretch. He wiped his face of the remaining tears that Katara had missed. She stood up as well and went around him to sit on her side of the bed.
"Okay, well, I'll see you at dinner, right?" she asked.
"No, I don't think so. Sorry. I'll see you later tonight, though." He looked at her briefly, but then his eyes shot to the spark candle. "I should get going. The meeting is going to start soon."
"Well, then, you should quit stalling, and get down there, my lord," she said, smiling. "You wouldn't want to keep the generals waiting."
Zuko glared at her, but then went around the bed like she had and stood in front of her. "You're just lucky that I love you. Otherwise, you would pay for that," he said, pecking her lips quickly. She caught the sarcasm in his voice.
"Uh, huh. Sure I would. My apologies, Fire Lord Zuko," she said, bowing her head. He chuckled and shook his head back and forth. She giggled and finished, the concerned expression returning to her face, "Now, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just an emotional moment, that's all," he shrugged, rubbing his right eye as if to hide some more lingering tears.
"If you keep rubbing your eye like that, it's going to get irritated," she stated, flatly, shaking her head. He gave her an annoyed glance. "Don't come crying to me when your eye hurts tomorrow. That's all I'm saying," she finished with a shrug of her shoulders.
"I said I'm fine. No worries," he said, rolling his eyes at her.
"Okay. Well, I'll see you later tonight, then."
"Wait for me," he said as he walked over to the door.
"No promises," she said with a mischievous smirk, laughing. He responded by pointing a finger at her as if to scold her for her comment before he left the room. This only made her laugh harder.
Later that night, after the meeting had ended with little success, Zuko returned to the bed chambers to find Katara sleeping peacefully. He chuckled to himself as he watched her. He quickly stripped himself of his royal attire and returned from the washroom wearing nothing but a pair of loose pants. He climbed into bed quietly and Katara rolled onto her side, her back facing him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close.
"I love you," he whispered, kissing her cheek lightly.
He had thought she didn't hear him but thought otherwise as she took a deep breath and whispered her reply, "I love you, too."
"I thought you were going to wait for me," he said, smirking, his face pressed into her shoulder.
She opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder so she could see his face. "I did, but then I got kind of bored with just sitting here, so I went to bed," she said, matter-of-factly, as if she was trying to justify why she was sleeping when he returned.
"Are you still bored?" he asked, playing along.
"No. Not really," she said.
"Are you tired? You can sleep," he told her gently.
"Maybe a little," she answered. She rolled again until she was on her back, making it so that she could see him better without the strain her neck. She placed a hand on the side of his face lovingly.
"Are you okay?" she asked suddenly, breaking the silence. She stroked the edge of his scar with her thumb, waiting for a reply.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered quietly, closing his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her gentle touches.
"I'd hate to think you're lying to me," she stated. He opened his eyes and watched her.
"Don't worry. It was just a lapse of emotion. Really, I'm fine."
"You're sure of that?" Her eyes searched his.
"I'm sure. Sorry to unload all of that on you," he said, his lips brushing the inside of her hand. "I felt so guilty at the meeting today."
"I'm pretty sure you have other things on your plate that are far more important than that." She managed a smile and shrugged. "It's my job to care. Don't worry about it."
He leaned down, hesitant to kiss her as if she was going to push him away. When she didn't, he pressed his lips against hers, enjoying the sensation that her lips created while moving with his as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He continued kissing her, rolling gently until he was hovering over her. His lips left hers only to meet the skin of her cheek, moving south to her jaw, and continuing further down to her neck and collarbone. When he hit a ticklish spot, she giggled.
"I've missed that sound," he breathed into her skin, his lips tickling her flesh once again as they moved in time with his words.
"It feels good to laugh, considering everything," she answered quietly. She took his face between her hands and gently coaxed his lips back up to meet hers.
Pulling out of her kiss, Zuko placed his head on her chest, listening to her breathing and heartbeat. He hummed in contentment, closing his eyes and snuggling closer to her.
Katara absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair. "Sleep, now. It's been a rough day, but things can and will get better. I promise," she whispered, mimicking his exact words to her from almost three years ago.
Truth be told, when he spoke those words to her all those years ago, following the devastating news, she had willed herself to believe him. With every fiber of her being, she wanted to believe him. Eventually, she had. But, now, as she lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, holding him as he slept, relaying the same message through whispered words and touches, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt.
Hope you enjoyed. Reviews are appreciated.
