Zutara Week Day 7! So sad to see it end, but I read a lot of wonderful stories and will continue to re-read them over and over again!
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"I can't believe it!" she said, gazing out at the hundreds of people gathered for the end of the war.
"It does seem surreal, doesn't it?" he replied from his seat next to her.
"But the feeling of knowing that you helped end the war is….overwhelming. I got a few thank you letters the other day. One was from a little girl. She said her parents were happy now. It made me cry." She grinned, remembering the…full feeling at the letter.
"Katara?" "Hmm?" she hummed, looking over her shoulder at a laughing family.
"I love you."
"Okay." She was distracted.
3….2….1…
"Zuko? What?" she was paying attention fully now.
"I said 'I love you'." He was smiling.
"You do?" she was in shock. He was so…perfect! How could he love her?
"Yes."
"I love you, too," she smiled, "I learned that a long time ago. But…aren't you with Mai?"
"Not if you feel the same was I do."
She was apprehensive. "How could you like me? I'm nothing special from your average person. I mean, sure, I'm a waterbender, but that's pretty much all."
"It's you that's different. Your personality. How you carried the weight for the group, how you cared for them, how selfless you are, and what makes you, you. I love your smile, because it tells me you're enjoying yourself. I love your eyes, because they tell me how you feel. I love you."
He caught her eye, gleaming. She was blushing profusely, glowing with pride. Yeah, she'd done that, but only because no one else would do it. It'd been here role from the beginning.
"Thank you," she smiled, sitting up straighter and leaning over, as if to confess a secret, "You have no idea how lucky I am to have you. I love you, too."
She gripped a handful of his formal robes and pulled him over to her, brushing her lips against his. He responded feverishly, gripping her face and deepening the kiss.
Guests stared at the pair. They'd already been caught. But they didn't care. It was here, now that mattered. They'd deal with the consequences later.
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"I love you," she whispered into the darkness.
"I love you more," he said, catching her lips with his.
She writhed beneath him in the bed. Footsteps echoed in the hallway, but she pad them no heed. They continued their activities.
The footsteps neared. Zuko paused for a moment.
"Did you hear that?"
"Nope," she said, pulling him back down.
Outside, two children made their way to their parent's room. The little girl clutched her teddy in one hand, her brother's hand in the other.
"I'm scared," the boy whimpered.
"It's okay. Mommy and Daddy should be in one of these rooms…There it is!"
The two kids ran forward, busting the door open, not bothering to knock.
"Mommy, Daddy! We're scared!"
The Fire Lord's heart nearly stopped. Zuko jumped from his wife, glad that he still had his clothing on. They hadn't gotten far enough to really be embarrassed. His wife, though, was a different story. Her robe had been slightly pulled down and she hurried to correct it. She pulled the blankets up around herself, covering herself up.
Once his wife was decent, only then did he light the candles around the room.
When they could see, the kids ran to the bed, jumping up. They crawled to their parents, frowning at the thick and heavy covers.
"What have I told you about knocking before entering? It's rude not to." Katara scolded them.
"I'm sorry, Mommy," the young boy said, "We were really scared. The big boom and flashy light in the sky scares me. It's really bad. And it makes a big noise and it's really loud!"
"Yeah," the girl agreed.
"It's only thunder and lightning, my sea flames. You'll be okay as long as you stay inside the palace. It can't hurt you."
"Are you sure, Daddy?"
"Yes. And you know what?"
"What?"
"If you behave and go to bed, I'll let you have ice cream for breakfast." Needless to say, Zuko really wanted alone time with his wife.
"Zuko," she chided, half smiling, half serious.
"Okay, Daddy, but can we sleep here? With you and Mommy to protect us from the bad things."
Zuko faltered.
"I don't think-" Zuko began.
"Of course you can, sweetheart," Katara interrupted, "We'll keep you safe."
"Thank you, Mommy," he said, snuggling into the covers and closing his eyes. His sister did the same.
When they were positive that the children were asleep, they talked.
"Now we will never-"
"This is what you get!"
"What'd I do wrong?"
"'Ice cream for breakfast'! They're not supposed to have that and you know it! It's one of my rules. Sokka did that for a month, and look how he turned out!"
"Hey! That's your brother, and he's not really that bad!"
"Did you live with him for fourteen years?"
"…No."
"Yeah, I didn't think so."
"Okay, I get it. But what's wrong with a little sugar?"
"Not for breakfast. It's not very healthy. And we can't have the heirs to the Fire Nation falling sick, now can we?"
He stuck his tongue out at her. She laughed.
"Anyway, back to our problem. Before the kids came, we were a little busy…"
"No."
"No? Why?"
"The kids are here. Do you really want us to get caught a second time?"
"Preferably not."
"Then I suggest you let your problem die out. If the kids had seen us, they'd been scarred for life, trust me."
"You've obviously never walked in on Uncle Iroh before. That was way more painful than a scar. It was tattooed in my brain!"
"Now I feel bad for you. That must've been disgusting! Ew! Bad mental image! Make it go away!"
"I could make it go away if you really wanted me to…"
"Not like that. I am ending this conversation right about…..now. Goodnight."
"Fine. Goodnight," he huffed.
A minute passed.
"Katara?"
She groaned into her pillow.
"That's it. I'm positive we're going to get caught."
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That was fun! Ok, goodbye to you all! Until next year….unless I can make a Zutara fic before then! Bye! Oh! And, PLEASE REVIEW!
Thanks, Sam