This was originally meant for the zutara week year 2012, but for some reason I never send it. However I made it, so might as well post it. Hope you like it.
Favourite seasons
Zuko had changed his opinion about his favorite season more than once – three times to be exact. When being small, his mother had loved the spring – season of life. Personally little prince had not understood what was so great about watching everything slowly, too slowly, coming back to life and bloom. Patience was never a quality of his. But he loved his kind and warm mother, so he found it natural to like some of the same things as her.
The first time his opinion about his favorite season, if you could call it so strongly, changed was when he visited the North Pole in hope of finding the avatar. That didn´t make much sense and he didn´t feel so at the time – he was about to freeze to death after all. But when that inexperienced water tribe woman beat him in a matter of seconds his pride (or what was left of it at least) was shaken bad. It took him days' worth of thinking and drinking tea to realize that the reason for his lost wasn´t because he was weak. It was because the girl was stronger that he had admitted. And with that came the realization that for the first time, he felt respect towards a woman for their power. Beside the cold, he didn´t find winter so bad.
Second time his opinion about the seasons wavered was when he had joined the avatar. He was part of the group but not yet part of the family. The western air temple had its cool spots and moments, but the summer of the comet was unusually hot. The air was so ridiculously suffocating, that he would have replaced ice cube in the place of his inner fire if he had the power to do so. He was walking back to camp after torturing himself and Aang with firebending lesson for too long – that was the avatars opinion, but when he felt his clothes, wet from sweating, against his skin in a heavy, still air, he agreed. Then he got the rest of the group into his eyesight and for a moment he forgot all about his surroundings. When he had expected to see blue garment next to the supper groceries, he saw light fire nation red silk around Katara. He still can´t remember what happened during the rest of the day and for that he blamed his ability to concentrate being shut off. Only thing that was clear to him was that he definitely liked summer best.
Third time he arraigned his thinking, was during the next fall in his palace, his home. Even when healing the wounds the war had caused took a lot of the heroic groups´ time, they had small moments, when they allowed themselves to be children again. One of those small moments, was when Katara tried to loosen Zuko up by throwing red, fallen leaves to him. After growing tired of dodging he tried to stop that stupid game by gripping Kataras arm. What followed was somewhat painful falling, where Katara elbowed him, next to his scar which Azula had given him. They looked at each other and couldn´t help the bubbling laughter that rose from their chests. Zukos laughter died faster when he looked at Katara who was still laughing on top of him, while crimson leaves were falling behind her against clear blue sky. He looked both of their national colors melt together and couldn´t help the sudden tough if Katara would stay in Fire Nation – with him. He might prefer autumn after all…