I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender
"Flight 402 from Gaoling to Ba Sing Se will now be boarding."
"Finally," I muttered, grabbing my purse and carry-on.
I'd been sitting a the terminal for four hours, waiting to board the plane. It was supposed to leave two hours ago. But, delays plagued the airport, due to technical difficulties. I understood at first, seeing as it would be a safety hazard to put people on a plane that doesn't work, but after a while it got pretty annoying.
I was on a tight schedule. After visiting my friend Toph in Gaoling, I had to get back to Ba Sing Se to meet my father and brother. My dad hated it when I was late, but that usually comes after he freaks out. He and my brother would conjure up scenarios of what might have happened to me, all because I was a little late.
I stood, gathering my belongings, and headed for the line. I handed my boarding pass to the woman by the door. She scanned it, then looked up at me, beaming.
"Have a lovely flight!" she said in a high, squeaky voice. I smiled, my lips tight as I thanked her. When I passed her, my smile fell and I pursed my lips. My flight would be a lot lovelier if it would leave on time.
I stepped onto the plane. I walked down the aisle, finding my seat. I passed the first-class section, with its fancy seats and TV's with headsets. Each seat even had smooth blankets and fluffy pillows. And how could you miss the wine buckets that sat on the sides? I rolled my eyes. Did people really need all that stuff? Sure, long flights could be uncomfortable, but I found all the items unnecessary.
I found my seat. I was near the middle on the side that had three seats. I was relieved. I knew the flight would not be full, so my chance of having someone sit next to me would be lessened, as opposed to sitting on the side with only two seats.
I slid in after putting my carry-on in the overhead bins. I loved sitting next to the window. The view of soaring through the clouds would always be absolutely breathtaking. Sometimes, I wished I could reach out and touch the soft wisps.
I take my seat, squirming to get comfortable. The flight would take five hours. I groaned just thinking about it.
I reached into my purse and pulled out a couple of magazines. I had bought them while I was waiting to get on the plane. I looked at the cover, making a face. I wasn't really into those girly magazines, with their outrageous fashion styles and make-up tips, but it was all that the terminal shop had. Plus, I was saving what I really wanted to read for when we actually take off.
I skimmed through it for 10 minutes, looking around in between. The cabin was mostly filled. We should be ready to go. What was the hold up?
"Excuse me," I said to a passing stewardess. She turned to me, bright red lipstick smothered onto her mouth. "Are we going to be taking off soon?"
"Now, now, calm down," she told me, holding her hands up. "I'm sure we will be up and flying in no time."
"But, can you just tell me-"
She put her hands on her hips, red lips pursed. "Do I have to report you to the pilot?"
Was she serious? "No, I-"
She waggled her finger at me. "Listen honey, I'm already ready trying to deal with one uncooperative passenger, and I certainly don't need another one. So just sit down and try to calm yourself."
"I'm already sitting down!" I said, irritated, but the flight attendant already left. I slapped my hand to my forehead and groaned.
Loud voices then erupted from the front of the plane. I strained to listen.
"I'm sorry, sir, but you will just have to it elsewhere" It was the flight attendant from before.
"This is completely unacceptable! Do you know who I am?" A man's voice.
I looked back down to my magazine. I listened as they came closer, chuckling at the heated dispute. The man was probably one of those typical wealthy people who always got their way.
Still flipping through the magazine, I heard someone sit down near me. Or, two seats away, to be more precise. From the corner of my eye I could see a man sitting near me, with the flight attendant looming over him.
"You will just have to sit here," she said to him, annoyance clear in her voice. "Better to have the two disruptive passengers next to each other. That way I can kill two birds with one stone," she smirked. I could feel the man looking at me.
She left, and I frowned. The man next to me started grumbling under his breath about how 'the incompetent workers lost his luggage'. I sighed. Wonderful. Five hours with this broody, scowling grouch.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be taking off shortly..."
I tuned the announcement out, relieved to finally be leaving. I checked the time. My dad and brother would be expecting me in three hours. I was going to be in so much trouble.
Finally, the plane took off, and we were up in the air. When we were at maximum altitude, it was announced that we could move about the cabin freely. I took the opportunity to take out my phone. I called my dad.
He picked up on the first ring. "Katara," he said.
"Hi, dad," I said in a hushed voice. "I, um, just wanted to tell you that I'm going to be late."
"Really, Honey? Again?" I could hear the disappointment.
"I'm sorry. It's just that we got delayed, and-"
"It's fine," he cut me off. "See you later. Love you." and he hung up.
I pulled my phone away. "Love you, too," I muttered, sighing. I set my head back on the seat, closing my eyes.
I tried to clear my mind, but my thoughts drifted off to the man two seats away. I opened an eye, turning my head slightly.
He was taking out a neck rest, placing it behind his head. He scowled as he looked at his computer, seemingly unaware of my curious gaze. I took the liberty to look at his face.
He was quite handsome. Younger than I thought, with dark, shaggy locks and pale skin. He was probably the same age as me. I could only see the right side of his face, but when he turned his head slightly, I could see a red blemish on the left side...
His head snapped towards me and I quickly shut my eyes. I could feel my cheeks heat from being caught. A few moments later I opened my eyes again. The man wasn't watching me anymore. My cheeks still felt a bit hot as I look at my magazine again.
Sometime later, the flight attendant came around asking for our drink choice. She asked me first.
"Ginseng tea, please," I told her politely. The flight attendant eyed me, probably remembering our earlier encounter, but then turned to my seat mate.
"Same," he said in a slightly scratchy voice. My eyebrows shot up. I was surprised. Not many people liked ginseng.
We got out drinks, and I took a sip, relishing in the familiar taste, finally relaxing. The only thing that could make it better would be my favorite book. I reached into my purse and pulled out the best book in the world.
Written by Iroh Sozin, A Good Cup of Tea was filled with genius poems and proverbs. I was on my third time reading it. I had heard that he was going to write another one, and I couldn't wait. I set my unwanted magazine aside and opened to my book mark.
I greedily soaked up Iroh's writing. My favorite part was deciphering what each piece meant. Every page was something new to discover.
I was contemplating what a certain sentence meant when I was interrupted.
"You like Iroh?" asked a disbelieving voice. I turned my head. The man was looking at me as if I had two heads.
His face was fully turned toward me, and I could see that the blemish on his left profile was a scar. It circled his eye. Regardless of it, he really was handsome. Angular face, smooth lips, and those eyes...
"Oh, um, yeah," I told him, breaking from my admiring gaze.
"Really?" he said, still dubious.
"Definitely. There's just something about his writing that speaks to me."
He scoffed and said, "Yeah, once you get past those crazy riddles."
I turned to look at him fully. "What," I said, "you don't like his work?" How could you not?
He smirked. "I do. But I feel that his writing is more of an... acquired taste." He chuckled, as if it was some inside joke.
"What's your favorite one?" he then asked me.
"Four Seasons, Four Loves," I said right away. It was my favorite poem.
The man's lips quirked, not a smile, but pretty close to it. "Me too."
Then he did the unthinkable: he moved a seat over. Right next to me. I was shocked at his bold move. After he got situated, he held his hand out to me.
"I'm Zuko."
I shook my head and smiled. "Katara," I said, shaking his hand.
And that was it. We didn't share another word. He just sat next to me. I occasionally snuck glances at him, but he never looked at me again once.
An hour later, I decided to take a trip to the restroom. My legs were getting quite cramped. I unbuckled myself and stood up. As I tried to move past Zuko's long legs, turbulence jolted the plane. I was promptly thrown to the side.
Right on top of Zuko.
My face turned red as I tried to steady myself. Only, another bout of turbulence hit and I was thrown against Zuko again.
When it stopped, I looked up. I was face to face with Zuko. I could feel his breath on my lips, and his beautiful eyes were drawing me in...
"Are you alright?" he asked me, concerned. I nodded. And only then did I realize the position that we were in. My hands on his chest, his arms tight around my waist, securing me in case the plane might jolt again. I scrambled off him, muttering my apologies. I swear I saw his cheeks lightly tinted red, too.
Forgetting about my trip to the lavatory, I sat down in my seat again, trying to calm down my racing heart.
I slept through two more hours, the long flight coming close to an end. I tried to read a bit more, but I was so nervous about my dad. I knew he wasn't happy when told him that I was going to be late. I gripped the arm rests tightly, flexing my fingers.
Zuko happened to notice this. "Are you nervous about flying?" he inquired.
His voice had startled me. We hadn't interacted since the fell on him. I moved to face him. "No," I said, sighing. "It's just... my dad."
He rolled his eyes. "Story of my life," he said. Then he gestured for me to go on.
I took a deep breathe. "It's just that he wants me to be this responsible, punctual, perfect daughter. But that's not who I am. I'm twenty-two. I need to be able to live a little."
It felt like a weight immediately was lifted off my chest. I had no idea why I chose to disclose that information to someone who was practically a stranger, but it felt good.
Zuko thought about this for a moment. "I'm sure it will be fine," he assured me in a soothing voice. "If he loves you, and I'm sure he does, then he'll understand." There was a hint of sadness in his voice, almost untraceable. But I caught it.
Before I knew it, we were landing. As we touched the earth I checked the time again. I was supposed to meet my dad and brother three hours ago. When we were clear to get up and leave, I grabbed my stuff and hurried off, not sparing a glance at Zuko.
I stood in the terminal and looked outside. It was dark. I shook my head, thinking about my how my next confrontation with my dad will go.
I stayed there, watching the plane as it takes off for another flight, not really wanting to leave.
I felt a presence next to me. I turned. Zuko had appeared next to me. He looked at me, and I smiled at him in greeting.
I cleared my throat. "Listen, I'm sorry for dumping all that stuff about my father on you."
"It's fine," he said, dismissing the subject. Then he stepped closer, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, I know you probably have somewhere to go, but would you maybe like to have a drink with me?" he asked, nodding towards a bar.
It's true; I really did have somewhere to go. I was about to decline the offer, but then I thought about what he said to me earlier.
My dad did love me. But he had to understand.
I turned to Zuko, who watched me with his beautiful, hopeful eyes.
"I've got nothing but time."
A/N: This what happens when your flight delays and you get stuck on the runway for two hours. Gotta love weather in Wisconsin! *eyeroll*