"Zuko… Honey."
All week, there's been little-to-nothing Katara could do to coax him away from the crib at night. He kneels there and peers over the railing for hours at a time, equal parts watchdog and guardian angel. And the baby girl sleeps soundly, soft and unmoving. Zuko thinks she knows somehow that her father is watching over her while she dreams. But Katara thinks she's just a sleepy baby.
In the nursery doorway, she whispers her husband's name again.
"Zuko. Come to bed. Please?"
"In a minute." He whispers back, without turning to look at her. "Shh."
On the first few nights, Katara had thought it was sweet. And it's still sweet, she supposes… but the nights have been getting lonely. So with a tired sigh, she concedes to join them, moving to sit quietly at Zuko's side.
"You know, she'll be fine without us. We'll just be in the next room."
"I know…" Zuko admits, eyes still glued to their tiny daughter.
"You need sleep, too. We won't be getting much of it for a while."
"I know." He says again.
When Katara looks up at him, she can't help but smile. As much as she'd love to be annoyed, the look upon Zuko's face is one she doesn't think she'll ever grow tired of. Contentedness has always been a rare sight in his eyes, and the loving gentleness and selfless devotion she sees in him now makes him more beautiful than anything she's ever seen or felt before.
…Except, of course, for their little Kwanyin.
Quietly, Katara gets up to kneel beside Zuko, joining him to look down at their baby. "…I still think she has your nose." She mutters. "And your ears."
Zuko stifles a quiet chuckle. "I still think you're crazy. She's your spitting image."
"Just wait until she grows up a little. You'll see it, too." She leans into him, letting her head rest upon his shoulder.
Then Zuko says, longing and wistful, "Imagine all the great things this girl can be…"
Looking down at Kwanyin in this moment, Katara can see why Zuko finds it so impossible to tear himself away from her. In the blink of an eye, she'll already be a year old. In the time that it takes to form a smile, she could already be a prodigy bender. Or be getting ready for her first date. Or showing off her medical degree from Ba Sing Se university. In no time at all, this child will be Firelord. And heaven forbid they miss any of it.
So for tonight, at least, Katara decides they'll keep vigil together.
...
Author's Note: Happy Zutara Week! I wasn't going to upload this here at first, because it was so short (and because I still owe a chapter of my toko fic *cough*). But I decided that since I haven't posted anything here in a while, I may as well. As always, I hope you enjoyed this lil oneshot, and please feel free to review if you so desire. :)
Love,
-Firelord Frowny