For a long time he stood looking out the window, looking over the ocean as white capped waves broke across its dark surface. He shouldn't have teased her while they danced. They shouldn't have danced. They were not friends. He felt that somehow his plan was backfiring. He gave a weary sigh.
Iroh came to the door. "Nephew, would you care to share a drink with the Captain and I?" he asked.
Zuko sighed again. "Sure, Uncle." Maybe he could drown her out of his head... although he doubted there was enough liquor in the four nations for that!
Iroh poured the pink liquor into three glasses, handing one to Zuko and one to Rinto, before taking his own. He winked at his friend when Zuko downed the alcohol in one gulp. Rinto sipped his drink while another was poured for the Prince. Moon-peach liqour was deceptivly potent and would sneak up on you quickly if you wernt careful. Neither men mentioned this to the boy as he gulped his fourth in so many minutes.
"So, Prince Zuko, how is your lovely bunkmate this evening?" Rinto asked.
"How would I know?"
"Oh, havent you seen her today?"
The boy shrugged, "Not since lunch."
"Prince Zuko takes all his meals with the young lady," Iroh pointed out. Zuko rolled his eyes.
"Do you, now?" Rinto said, "Not that I blame him. Such a pretty little thing."
"I hadnt noticed," Zuko said, face redening. He lowered his face, letting the hair fall in his eyes.
"Really? It was the first thing I noticed," the older man said, "All that soft, caramel skin. The flowing dark hair. Long legs and..."
Zukos head shot up, his eyes blazing fire. "She's too young for you," he snapped. He threw back another shot and peered at the glass, hadnt he just emptied it? He was feeling a little fuzzy.
Uncle hid a smile behind his glass. Six shots and the boy was just starting to loosen up. Rinto shrugged. "Why she is just about your age, isnt she, nephew?"
"Around there," he said. Another shot. Uncle was quick to keep filling his glass.
"Nearly old enough for marriage," Iroh said. Zuko choked on his drink and Rinto slapped him on the back. He glared at Uncle, who ignored him. "I'm sure she will make a splendid wife."
Zuko snorted, "I wouldnt wish that harpy on my enemy!"
"You mean, she isnt going to marry the Avatar?"
The Princes eyes widened and then narrowed, glittering dangerously. "Over my dead body," he hissed.
Rinto laughed, clapping him on the back. "That-a boy!" Zuko nearly fell off the chair.
"The problem with these two is stubborness," Iroh said, "They both recognize an attractiveness in each other, but neither will make the first move."
"Uncle, I'm right here," the boy said irritably. He really wished the room wasnt rocking back and forth so dizzyingly.
"Well, Zuko has made a few moves," Rinto defended, "The boy just has no fallow through. And you've got to learn to woo the girl."
Zuko, a little confused by the conversation above him, looked from one man to the other. "I dont want to woo her," he said, frowning, "Why would I do that?" He was feeling really tipsy now and he lay his head on the table.
"She will never accept a proposal if you dont," Uncle said.
"Proposal for what?" His vision was swimming and he was finding it hard to concentrate.
Iroh shook his head, "Marriage, boy, pay attention."
"Oh." He put his head down, but it snapped up a moment later, Uncles words having finally made sense to his muddled brain. "What, I'm not marr-"
"That girl is like this moon-peach liquor," Uncle said, ignoring the boy all together, "Beautiful and sweet. And like this drink, that beauty makes you lightheaded."
"Atleast one of them!" Rinto added, laughing.
Iroh shot his friend a look and continued, "But theres more to her then just her looks, Nephew. She's got a good head on her shoulders. She has a firey spirit in that soft package. Like this liqour, if you dont watch out, she will sneak up on you with a whallop!"
Zuko rolled his tongue over the inside of his teeth. The sweet taste of the liqour lingered in his mouth and he thought about Katara. Would she taste this sweet? He thought about her hair spread over his pillows and the way the early morning sun danced over her face, casting a soft glow to it. He smiled.
She was prettiest in the morning. It was his favorite time. He got up long before she did and he always took a few minutes just to watch her sleep. He propped his head on one hand and sighed. "So pretty..." he said, "Is there more?" He pushed his empty glass forward but it tipped over and rolled to the floor. "Aww," he whined frowning.
Rinto elbowed Iroh and grinned wildly. "Prince Zuko, I think you have had exactly enough," Iroh said, "Perhaps you would like to retire?"
"To your room- where the Waterbender is," Rinto added.
Zuko perked up, smiling, and tried to stand. He propmtly sat back down. "Nope, rooms all... swirly... Maybe I should stay-"
"We'll help you!" both men said at once. They half dragged and half carried him down the hall. Opening the door, he was shoved into the room. "Good luck!"
He stumbled into the room, trying to be quiet. When the door slammed a little too loudly, he hissed, "Shhh!" at it. Katara jolted up in bed. She watched him walk unsteadily toward the bed nervously. He crashed into the table, nearly falling over. "Im good, Im ok," he said, giving the table a look of disgust.
"Zuko, are you alright?" She peered at him through the spot where he had previously torn down the velvet curtain.
"Oh, good, you're awake!" He smiled at her, a genuine smile that warmed her and made her want to smile back. He walked unsteadily toward the bed. He flopped on the bed and looked at her. "I like you here," he said softly.
"Have you been drinking, Zuko?"
Another smile. "Only a little," he said, "One bottle... I think.." He frowned, his eyes unfocusing for a moment. When they fixed, he was looking at her again. "I like you here," he said again.
"You said that already," she said, rolling her eyes. Yue help me, a drunk Zuko could be disasterous!
"Well, did I tell you how beautiful you are already?" he said, his voice a seductive whisper.
Her heart tripped and sped up. She frowned. "Don't ."
He frowned too. "Why not? It's true," he said, sounding a little hurt, "And even if it wasn't, you can't tell me what I can and can't say." He flopped on his back, crossing his arms behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. "Waterbenders are mean," he grumbled.
She couldn't help but smirk. "Go to bed Zuko."
Zuko rolled to his side to face her. "I did go to bed," he said, looking confused, "Didn't I?" His gold eyes bore into hers and he frowned. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked softly.
Katara saw the hurt and uncertainty in his eyes and couldn't help but feel for him. He looked so innocent, so small, and her protective nature took over. Tentativly, she reached out to brush the hair from his eyes. "No, I'm not afraid, Zuko," she said, just as softly. Relief flooded his eyes and he sighed, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.
He frowned. "Then why do we always fight?" he asked.
She was about to make a snappy retort, but he was looking at her uncertaintly again. He looked sincere. She sighed. "I don't know."
"I don't want to fight with you," he said, "It just always happens." Figiting with the blanket, he said, "Uncle thinks its because we are attracted to each other." He was looking down and his hair had fallen in his eyes, but she could still see the blush across his cheeks.
Katara felt her own face flush. "I'm not attracted to you," she said, hating that her pulse had sped up.
"Yeah me either," he said, "To you, I mean, I'm not at all attracted to myself. I told him he was crazy." He looked up, caught her eye, then looked down again. He flopped on his back, crossing his arms behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. "He just kept going on about it. And the moon-peach liquor tasted sweet and I kept thinking about what you would taste like. So I drank more. Then some how I was here, trying to be quiet and not wake you up. But you were already awake."
She had raised up on one elbow, looking at him incrediously, her mouth hanging open. Her whole body flushed. He turned his head toward her and frowned.
"What?" he asked. Why was she looking at him like he had grown an extra head?
It took her a moment to form words, her brain was still trying to comprehend what he had said. "Did you really just say you were thinking about the way I tasted?"
"What? No!" he said, offended, "Not out loud!"
"You need to go to sleep," she said finally, rolling onto her side, away from him.
He turned toward her, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder. "I didn't mean to make you mad," he said softly, "Please don't stop talking to me." Katara jumped when he touched her. His fingers were feather light, drifting across her shoulders and the back of her neck. She shivered. He inched closer. "Are you cold?" he asked, his breath warm on her skin.
She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. "Don't do that, Zuko," She said, trying to sound cross and only managing to sound breathless instead. He traced her cheek with his fingers and brushed one of her hair loopies behind her ear. Her breath caught when her azure eyes met his amber stare. The corner of his lips tilted in a half smile. He leaned forward and her eyes widened. She pulled away from his hand and slipped out of the bed. Facing him, chest heaving, she confronted him. "You can't kiss me, Zuko!" she snapped, "You can't touch me and you can't say nice things to me!"
Zuko blinked at her in surprise. "I didn't think..."
"I know! You never do!" she ranted, "Everything with you is an action, Zuko! You are my enemy and you have no right to think about... about... how I taste!"
"Why are we enemies? I don't want to be! Can't we just... stop?"
"You have no idea what you've taken from me, do you!"
He slid off the bed, rounding on her unsteadily. "I've taken nothing from you!" he hissed, "Why are you always blaming me? I am not my father!"
"Arn't you? What will you do to Aang when- IF- you catch him?" she yelled, "You are no better then Ozai- no better then any trained Fire Nation solider!"
"Watch it, Waterbender, the Fire Nation always takes what it wants," he growled.
"How well I know that!" she hissed, "You have no idea what they've taken from me!"
"From you? FROM YOU? Do you see this?" he roared, pointing to his scar, "My father did this to me- to prove a point, to teach me a lesson!" He had backed her against a table and was yelling in her face. Some of her anger faded at his words and she stared at him with a horrified look on her face.
"Zuko, I didn't kno-"
"Oh course you didn't," he hissed, "You look at me and see a monster, don't you?" He felt tears sting behind his eyes and he hated her for it. "Well, I'm not," he said, grabbing her hand and holding it over his wildly beating heart, "I'm flesh and blood just like you, just like your precious Avatar, and the Fire Nation took that from me too!"
He dropped her hand and moved to step away from her, but she fisted her hand in his shirt, holding him. She held his eyes as she lifed her palm to touch his scar. His first instinct was to pull away, no one ever touched him there, but he stood rigidly while her fingers ghosted over the burned flesh. Her eyes filled with tears as guilt crashed down on her.
"Agni, don't cry," he said softly, laying his forhead against hers. He cupped her face in his hands. This was not how he had expected his night to go! For a moment he thought to kiss her, but instead he pulled her against him, wrapping her in his arms. He held her while she cried softly and felt the wetness of his own tears slide over his cheek.
"I'm sorry, Zuko," she whispered against his shirt. His hold tightened around her. "I don't think you are a monster." He swung her into his arms and carried her to the bed. She was a little surprised but she didn't try to push him away. He lay her gently on the bed and curled up to her, enfolding her in his embrace.
Katara inhaled the scent of him and sighed. It felt good to be in his arms, right, and she didn't want to move. Sometimes she wished he wasn't her enemy, too. "The Fire Nation took my mother from me," she said softly.
Zuko felt a heaviness in his heart. "That's something we have in common then," he said against her neck. She was comforting. To hold her was to forget his cares and worries. He wasn't Prince Zuko and she wasn't his captured Waterbender- they were just Zuko and Katara. His hand drew lazy circles on her back, feeling her warmth through his shirt.
The longer he lay awake, the less fuzzy his mind became. Uncle was right. He wanted her- more then just hapless lust. He felt posessive of her. He wanted to hold her and talk to her, to fight with her and watch her bend. Not that he would admit it- Uncle would gloat for years!- but he enjoyed spending time with the wench. She was a challenge. Her quick wit made their verbal sparing entertaining. He could feel her even breathing against his chest and knew she had fallen asleep.
Agni help him, he wanted to keep her!
Zuko winced, just the light behind his closed eye lids hurt. His head was throbbing and the inside of his mouth was so dry he felt like there was hair in it. He cracked one eye open. Ugh, he did have hair in his mouth- his whole face was jammed in Kataras hair! Cringing and trying not to wake her up, he pushed the hair away. If she woke up, there would be hell to pay- and he was hurting enough already.
Slowly, he extracted himself from the sleeping girl. Agni, burn it all!- his arm was under her head! Grimacing, he dropped his head back on the pillow. Oh Agni, what the hell did I say last night? Little bits of their conversation came back to him and he cringed. He could remember how much of what was in his head he had said out loud and it worried him.
Before he could figure out how to rip his arm off without waking her up, she murmured his name in her sleep and rolled over into him. He was comtemplating yanking away from her and pretending nothing had happened when she slowly blinked awake. Well, crap, now he was stuck! "Good morning," he said hesatantly. She blushed and rolled away. She tried to slip out of bed, but he caught her wrist. "Wait, what the hell happened last night?"
Instantly annoyed by his harsh manner, she turned on him, yanking her arm away. "You, in a drunken moment of stupidity, tried to kiss me. You confessed your undying love and asked me to marry you. What do you think my answer was?" She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. Why not have a little fun with this?
She nearly lost it at the look on his face. All color had drained from it and his mouth fell open. His eyes were wide and a little terrified. He sputtered for a few minutes before rolling off the bed. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. Good going, Captain Jackass, how the hell did he get himself out of this one? "I dont remember any of that," he snapped. But the problem was he did vaguely remember talk of 'wooing' and 'marriage'- wasn't that with Uncle? He couldn't remember that part clearly.
Katara rolled her eyes, wow this was easier then I thought! "You dont remember any of it? You dont remember what we did?"
Eyes wide, he searched through every scrap of memory from last night. Wait, no, they were dressed... His face flushed. What the hell happened? "Are you going to tell me or not?" he hissed.
"Not!" she said, "My answer was no, by the way!" Turning on her heel and striding into the bathroom, she snapped the curtain shut behind her. She bit her knuckle to keep from busting out laughing, she could hear him muttering in the other room.
He thought about it for another moment before yelling, "That didnt happen, Katara!"
Unable to hold back any longer, she erupted into a fit of laughter. Poking her head out of the bathroom she said, "Really, you are so gullable, Zuko!"
"Waterbenders are evil," he grumbled, slamming out of the room. She only laughed harder.