Girls had always been a mystery to Zuko. He'd thought they'd like to be flattered, liked to be told that they were beautiful, and like to hear things like 'you're the world's most beautiful creature' and 'you are so wonderful'. Quite frankly, he thought saying these things to someone sounded awfully pretentious and he didn't at all think he was suitable for romantic things. He had tried saying those things into the mirror when he was younger. But it felt like he was having a handful of pins in his mouth every time he said them.
His uncle Iroh had confirmed for Zuko how those words, although seemingly disgusting, were enjoyed by women. Iroh was born with the gift of the gab. That meant he could sweet talk his way out of all sorts of situations, from gaining passage to Ba Sing Se when they were fugitives to getting Zuko to drink some hideous liquid when the boy had fallen ill. And obviously, the old Firebender had used it to gain favour among women too; one of Iroh's most frequently told stories was how he got Zuko's aunt to marry him. He had use words and she had fallen for him.
Ah, there were many things Zuko had learnt from the retired general but unfortunately, the usage of the 'language of love' was not one of them. If he wanted to get married… ever, he would have to learn the art of verbal seduction.
Zuko stood quietly behind one of the pillars surrounding the palace's arena, watching in quiet awe the graceful Waterbender who moved in the centre. He watched as she manipulated her element and forced it to move where she wanted it. He had always found it ironic that she was so skillful in the fighting aspect of Waterbending and at the same time was an expert healer. It had always amazed him how with those hands, she had attacked him and how with those same hands, she had cradled his face so tenderly when they were in the crystal catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se.
She was ever-changing, just like the water she bent. Well, she didn't change as frequently but then again she was ever so different now from when he had first met her. He smiled softly at the Waterbender. She had her hair braided up in a traditional water tribe hairstyle, just like how she had been when he first met her, except that nowadays she only wore her braid when she trained. He loved it when she let her hair down, it made her look that much more attractive but then again, there was a part of him that liked to watch her train just so he could get a glimpse of her old hairstyle. It reminded him of her when they were younger and he liked that.
She was here to visit him. Just the thought made him feel all warm inside; that someone would actually travel all the way just to see him. He liked this feeling and he liked Katara… a lot, although he had never truly gotten round telling her. He had tried hinting it to her, but the words that came out of his mouth didn't serve their purpose and she never got the clue.
When it came to romance, he had never been good with words and what made things worse was that people had the impression that he was a very straight-faced, stern and angry man who didn't care for a personal life, this of course, held some truth. He was a very no-nonsense person when it came to things that involved the Fire Nation, they were right about that. The part they missed out, however, was the fact that he was equally driven, if not more so, in terms of his personal life. He did care for a personal life, just that he hadn't found the 'right one'; that was until 6 months ago when Sokka and Suki got married. That was when he had realised that the 'right one' had been there with him for over 8 years, he just didn't see it.
Zuko had been there, on Kyoshi Island and obviously so had the rest of the Gaang. He had been happy to see them, but then he saw her, the Southern Waterbender was clothed in a beautiful silk Earth Kingdom styled dress that was long enough to cover her feet. It was a pale green, the colour of Toph's eyes and was just absolutely stunning. She had her hair down so that her shoulders were covered in a wave of brown locks. The sight of her had stolen his breath away and for that moment, he had forgotten the conversation he had been having with Chief Hakoda. It was only after the older man clapped him on the shoulder that Zuko snapped out of his trance-like state and resumed the conversation. Katara had never left his mind since that day as he became more and more aware of his love for her.
He was thrilled when she sent a letter to him telling him she was going to start work at one of the many Fire Nation villages that needed aid due to the fact that Ozai had neglected them during the war. She had told him also that she would first arrive at the palace to visit him and discuss with him the course of action before heading on her mission. He loved it, he loved her plan and immediately wrote a simple letter telling her his palace gates would always be opened to her and that was the truth.
Zuko was quite a presence in any Fire Nation meeting he attended; he was apt and concise and spoke his mind. Meetings had become one of the places where his speaking skills were perfectly appropriate. Even in his younger days he had never had difficulties speaking out in official meetings; hence his scar, but when it came to the softer nature of speech, he often found himself at a loss for words. Today however, Zuko was determined to let his emotions be known. He had even drafted a script and played it in his head over and over again until he memorized it.
'We have known each other for a rather long time and I think it would be in both our interests if we could start seeing each other', he had planned to say, it sounded very much like a business proposal, he knew, but hey, when you're desperate to get a point across, you do what you must, and in this case, speak in a business language.
He watched as Katara bent the water back into the containers and walked over to where she had her towel. She was still gorgeous, even though her hair fell messily over her face, her outfit soaked with sweat and her face flushed from the work out, Zuko found that he was still unable to take his eyes off her. Steeling himself, he walked toward the Waterbender. She smiled as she saw him approaching and he melted; almost forgetting the words he had planned to say.
"Zuko", she whispered and wrapped him in her tight embrace. "How've you been?" she asked as she pulled away, her hands still holding onto his arms. Zuko forgot what he had planned to say.
"Katara", he began and watched as she lifted her gaze to meet his. Her eyes were beautiful. "Will you marry me", he asked and could feel his cheeks flame with colour as soon as the words left his mouth and he scolded himself mentally. How could he say that? She wasn't even his girlfriend, he hadn't even courted her, and she didn't even know that he liked her. How did he expect her to marry him?
"I'm sorry; I... what I meant to say was…"
"You're not very good at words are you?"
"I am, I just… I don't what to say", he finally admitted.
"Then say you love me", she told him and he raised a brow.
"I love you", he whispered and he meant it, with every beat of his heart, he mean it. "I love you", he repeated, louder this time and smiled at her. In a daring move, Zuko lowered his face to Katara's and paused for a moment so she could pull away if she wanted to. But instead of pulling away as he had expected, she closed the space between them and kissed him softly. The kiss was gentle; tender but all the same, Zuko felt almost lightheaded as he pulled away from her.
"Wow", he murmured and looked deep into her blue eyes. "I love you", he told her again as he enjoyed the freedom to say those three words to her.
Zuko watched as a small smile graced her face as she reached up and touched his scar. And in that moment, he remembered his childhood hypothesis- girls liked pretty things. Was she just reminded of his hideous scar, the mark of his shame? Was she disgusted by it and didn't want him anymore? Zuko exhaled slowly, insecurity creeping in.
"It's beautiful", she whispered and for the second time that day, she surprised him. He looked at her, his eyes full of questions. "It's not a mark of shame Zuko", she explained as if she'd heard his thoughts. "It's a reminder of how brave you have been and why you embarked on your journey of self-discovery. It represents the new you and yes, I will marry you."
She's said it in such a matter-of-factly tone that Zuko found himself beaming at the Waterbender; his future wife. It seemed that they shared this… this same method of expressing themselves and despite everything, saying romantic things to Katara was more like having honey in his mouth and not at all like pins.
Ah, the language of love, the language of love should be spoken from the heart. Speak it sincerely and you will get your point across. Uncle Iroh's art, he had finally mastered.
A/N: Hey there! Would you be so kind as to review too? Please? Getting some feedback would mean the world to me! So please, if you have read this would you please review? Hoping to get at least 10 reviews, please help me realize my goal :)