A/N: 'Ello readers! I'm so happy to be back; my last piece of Zutara fluff went over extremely well! Are you all ready for this next attempt though? Keep in mind that this is rated 'T' because of frequent language. I promise, there will be no F-bomb drops or anything, just a lot of "darn" and "heck" and such. If this bothers you, turn away now. But stay tuned until the end, because I promise things will turn very sweet and fluffy! Speaking and thinking will take place as follows: "Chit chat," and 'Think thought,'
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Avatar. Which is sad. I'm going to say this takes place…hmm…before the gang arrives at Ember Island, I guess? I need to watch those episodes again; I'm a little hazy. I don't own that either XD
Zuko's Potty Mouth
"Damn it! I screwed it up again!" Zuko hissed to himself as he stood up and brushed dirt off his backside. The Avatar gang was relaxing after a good five hours of flying, and he had decided to sneak off and do some lightning practice. He still struggled with it, and it really ticked him off.
"Zuuuko! Are you coming? It's lunch time!" Katara's voice called out from the distance.
"To hell with lunch! Can't you see I'm busy" he yelled back.
"Don't you dare start cussing me out! I'll come over there and drag you back if I have to!" the water bender snapped back. Zuko sighed in frustration, but started walking back to camp. Katara's temper was like that of a fire bender's, and he didn't like to mess with it.
"I was only trying to master an important art so that I can help save the freaking world, but whatever," he muttered.
"Did you say something Zuko?" Aang asked. The said prince ignored the Avatar and took a seat by Sokka. He looked down to see a pile of tiny nuts.
"Not this shit again!" he moaned quietly, wrinkling his nose at the 'meal'.
"That's it, I've had it! Zuko, your language is terrible! Can't you say anything that isn't a cuss word?" Sokka exclaimed irritably.
"Who died and made you the freaking king of the world? I can say whatever the hell I want to say! Besides, I know other damn words," Zuko shot back. He picked up a nut and tossed it into his mouth. He shuddered from the taste, a look of distain on his face.
"Somebody back me up on this!" Sokka glared at the others.
"I don't really care what he says. It's more annoying to hear you two fight over something lame like that then anything else," Toph stated with a yawn.
"I think Sokka's right. Could we maybe tone the language down a little, to PG maybe?" Aang smiled nervously.
"What the hell is wrong with you people? You make it sound like the only freaking word that comes out of my mouth is something badass," Zuko huffed. His temper was starting to flare.
"Hey, I have an idea," Katara leaned forward.
"Let's make this more interesting for Prince Zuko," the devious smirk on her face could only mean one thing; trouble.
"I'm listening," Zuko said suspiciously.
"Every time you let out a cuss word, you owe me a gold coin," Katara folded her arms across her chest triumphantly.
"That's not a bad idea!" Aang agreed.
"Why do you get the money?" Sokka demanded to know.
"Because I'm the responsible one who keeps our money safe," Katara answered.
"No argument there," Sokka popped a handful of nuts into his mouth and chewed loudly.
"So what do you say, Zuko? Are you in, or are you chicken?" Katara made flapping motions with her arms.
"Fine. I'll play your dirty little pheasant game. But I'll warn you now, don't expect a single gold piece from me. This'll be easy!" Zuko smirked, his arrogance shining.
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Some time later, Zuko decided to take a walk. It was a relief to be away from the others; they stared at him constantly, waiting for a slip of the tongue.
'I told them it wouldn't be easy!' Zuko smirked to nobody in particular. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying a soft breeze that tickled his face. Directly in front of him sat a rock. Zuko, unaware, kept walking. His big toe collided with the hard stone, sending waves of pain up his foot.
"Owww! Damn it!" Zuko jumped on one foot, trying to massage his toe. Katara appeared out of nowhere, her hand out stretched.
"That one doesn't count!" Zuko argued, his nostrils flaring.
"Pay up, Zuko! You said you'd play my 'dirty little peasant game', did you not?" Katara smiled widely and stretched her hand farther.
"To hell with this shit!" as soon as the words were out of his mouth, Zuko moaned. He pulled out three gold coins and dropped them into Katara's open hand.
'Why didn't anyone tell me it would be so freaking hard to stop swearing?' he wondered with a sigh.
"You owe me another coin," Katara said expectantly.
"I only swore three times!" Zuko half shouted.
"True, but you were thinking of one," the water bender smirked and waited for the rest of the payment. Zuko thrust another coin into her hand and death glared her before stomping away.
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It was Zuko's turn to look for food, so with a knife in hand he stalked off through the woods. There were fresh Beaver-Deer tracks, and plenty of them. His mouth watered at the thought of real, crisp meat.
Silently he crept from tree to tree, his face scrunched with concentration. It seemed an entire lifetime passed before his prey came in sight.
A mother and her fawn grazed on low growing flowers, their ears and tails twitching. Just as Zuko was raising his knife, a hand clasped his shoulder.
"What the hell?" Zuko whipped around, pinning the stranger against a tree. The Beaver-Deer bolted through the trees.
"Damn it, I was so close!" the fire prince eyed his attacker, ready to unleash his wrath.
"Two more coins please!" Katara said, her face red. It wasn't often she found herself mere inches from a boy's face. Zuko also blushed when he realized he was pressed up against the girl.
"Sorry," he muttered, taking a few steps back. Katara stretched her back.
"I'm sorry too, for sneaking up on you like that," Katara twiddled her fingers nervously, her face still red.
"It's okay," Zuko brushed off her apology. They fell silent for a few minutes.
"You're still going to have to pay,"
"Yeah, I know…"
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It seemed everywhere Zuko turned, Katara was somewhere nearby, her hand ready to collect his hard earned Fire Nation money.
His pockets were becoming noticeably lighter, and only then did Zuko realize that the others were right; he did have a language problem! And it was driving him insane! Not to mention poor!
"I heard that, Zuko, now cough up the money!" Katara grinned, as happy as a schoolgirl on summer break.
"That's it Katara! This shit is driving me freaking crazy! To hell with this dumb ass bet!" Zuko stomped his foot furiously.
"I know, I know! I have to pay!" he growled when the said girl opened her mouth.
"If you really want this to end, then there is only one thing you can do," Katara looked a little mad at being snapped at, but she let it go.
"You have to tell me something nice. And not just 'you look nice today', or 'that dinner you cooked was really tasty'. I mean something really, really nice," she uttered seriously.
"And an example of something really, really nice would be…?" Zuko didn't have any idea what he could say. Katara shrugged.
"I'm sure you'll think of something. Have fun!" she waved and ran off. Zuko could hear her giggling as she became a tiny dot in the distance.
'Thanks Katara. That was extremely helpful,' He thought with an exasperated sigh. Woman were confusing creatures, to say the least. What was he supposed to say? She had already banned the easy compliments. Zuko looked up at the sky; it was all blue, aside from a few scattered clouds. His eyes became unfocused as he drifted off into a state of semi-awareness. For nearly an hour he stayed like that, lost in his own little world, when it came to him.
"That's it!" he jumped up so fast birds flying overhead squawked in surprise.
"But, I can't tell her that!" Zuko's legs turned to cement, denying him even the slightest movement. The very thought of it brought heat to his cheeks, and he fanned his face uncomfortably.
'Come on! Be a man for once! It's not that hard; hell Sokka's done it before!' Zuko told himself firmly. A tiny, fearful voice in the back of his head raised the question he hated to think about.
'What if she laughs at me? And I end up wrecking everything- our friendship, Aang's training? It's not like she's ever done or said anything to make me think she has those kinds of…feelings,' Zuko shuddered at the word 'feelings' as if it was a dirty cuss word.
'No. I have to do this, if for no other reason then to save the remainder of my money!' With his heart pounding in his ears Zuko took a deep breath and raced off to find Katara.
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Katara was delighted to find a small pond near camp. It was a nice day, perfect for practicing her water bending. She pulled off her Water Tribe clothes until she was only wearing her swimming outfit. Katara walked until the water came up to her waist.
Then, she raised her arms and twisted and turned, shaping the water at will. She concentrated on her work, perfecting the move. Zuko stopped at the pond's bank, watching the girl in action. She had yet to notice him.
'Holy shit!' he moaned to himself once he took a look at what Katara was wearing- or wasn't wearing, rather. How was that fair? Was God personally trying to punish him?
"There's the little Sailor!" Katara called out once she saw Zuko standing there. With a smile on her face she headed towards the Fire Prince.
"Did you think of a compliment?" she asked, somewhat eagerly.
"What?" he blinked a few times, still in a daze at the sight of Katara.
"Did you think of a compliment?" Katara repeated.
"U-Uh huh," Zuko cleared his throat nervously and tried to look nonchalant.
"That's great!" Katara's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Katara, I…"
"Yes?" she encouraged.
"I…I love you," Zuko blushed and stared at the ground, his eyes downcast. Katara stared, her mouth hanging open and eyes wide. Neither said a word, and the minutes of silence stretched awkwardly.
"Forget it, I shouldn't have said anything," Zuko turned and stormed away, the tips of his fingers bursting into flame.
"Zuko, wait!" Katara yelled. She got no reply. Zuko stiffened as a pair of slender arms suddenly wrapped themselves around his waist, pinning his arms to his sides. Katara buried her face into his back and muttered something inaudible. When Zuko ignored her again, she spoke louder.
"Did you really mean that? What you said?" she asked.
"…yeah…" Zuko said weakly.
"I've always loved you, too, you know. I never said anything because I was afraid that a Prince like you would only see me as a peasant friend. But I really do like you!" Katara blushed and bit her lip, waiting for a response.
Silence, silence, and then more silence. Then, Zuko turned around to face Katara. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers.
"So does that count as a really good compliment then?" he muttered with a small smile. Katara's face lit up like a light bulb. She wrapped her arms around him again, pulling him into a tight hug.
"I'm probably still going to swear though. You know that, right?"
"Yeah, I know…" and with that said, the little distance between their lips disappeared. It didn't take long for their simple first kiss to evolve into something more passionate, including fingers in each other's hair.
Sadly it all had to end when Sokka spotted his sister and friend locked in a kind of fierce lip battle. But then again, surely it was nothing a little bit of potty mouthing couldn't fix…
A/N: Done! Whoot! I hope this turned out good for you readers, because I sure had fun writing it! I understand some of you wish I wrote more, and for that I apologize! It seems that I struggle with length sometimes. Oh well, I guess I can't do everything perfectly. Drop off a review before you leave, please! Until next time readers, bye bye now!