Hakoda sat at his kitchen table, drinking a glass of water and reading the newspaper. He was finally back from a long business trip, and he intended to spend the next few days relaxing and enjoying the company of his children. Actually, Sokka was now 21 and Katara's 20th birthday was in a few months, so they weren't exactly children. But that was besides the point.
A quiet knock interrupted Hakoda's thoughts. Standing, he quickly walked down the hall to the front door, thinking Sokka had forgotten his key again. He opened the door and saw, not his son, but his daughter's boyfriend.
"Oh, good evening, Zuko," He greeted the young man, who looked surprisingly nervous. "Katara's just upstairs in her room."
Actually, I kinda wanted to talk to talk to you," Zuko said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and avoiding eye contact.
Hakoda lead Zuko to the kitchen, where the two sat in awkward silence. Hakoda eyed Zuko suspiciously, trying to think of why a man would ever want to speak to his girlfriend's parents. Zuko, on the other hand, looked at everything except Hakoda, nervously fumbling with something in his pocket.
"So, what seems to be the problem?" Hakoda asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable quiet.
"Well, actually, it's not really a problem. Well, I hope it's not a problem, but I'm not sure, which is why I-"
"Hey, look at me," Hakoda said, cutting off the boy's stuttering. Zuko looked up at him. "Now, take a deep breath," Hakoda instructed. After the young man seemed to relax, he asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
Zuko hesitated, then pulled a small case from his pocket and set it on the wooden table. He opened it and said, "I'd like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."
Hakoda stared at the ring in shock, unsure if should jump over the table and mangle the young man for trying to take his precious daughter away, or if he should weep with joy. He'd been playing the role as both father and mother for nearly 12 years now, so sometimes he wasn't sure what the proper reaction was.
"Uh, sir?" Zuko said nervously, hands visibly shaking as he put the ring's case back in his pocket.
"Just… Just give me a minute to think this over, okay?" Hakoda replied. Zuko nodded in understanding.
Hakoda stared down at his hands in thought. Zuko was a very nice young man, and the only person to successfully pass the drill of questions that all of Katara's potential boyfriends were asked. However, his family had a reputation for being insane, so who it was hard to know what kind of long-term impact that would have on the boy. Plus, he'd had a brief stint of thievery a few years ago, and that could affect his future. But, he did have the decency to actually ask permission to marry Katara, rather than eloping, like Sokka had tried to.
Hakoda sighed and finally said, "Zuko, you're a very nice young man, and I appreciate you asking my permission before you do this. But I have to keep my daughter's happiness and well-being in made when I make this choice. You seem to make my daughter very happy, so…" Hakoda paused, watching as Zuko stiffened. Smiling, he said, "Yes, you may marry my daughter. But I swear, if you do anything to upset her…"
Zuko visibly relaxed, standing up as he said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure Katara's happy."
"Hey, when did you get here?" The subject of their conversation asked from the kitchen door. Katara looked from Zuko to her father, then asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No, everything's fine. I was just clearing a few things up with your father," Zuko explained, waking up to his girlfriend and giving her a kiss. "Now, I'd like to ask you something."
Author's Notes: Okay, so this was written for a contest in my guild. I'm not sure if this is in character or not, but I tried. Oh, and it's in a modern setting, so the having an engagement ring does work.
Comments and criticism are loved!
Disclamer: I don't own Avatar, it's characters, or the ring in this story. I wish I did, but I don't, and I never will.