Zuko sighed, rolling his pen between his fingertips, his marred reflection distorted along it's shiny surface. He couldn't believe he'd let his uncle talk him into this. Coming here, of all places. Fucking university. As if high school weren't enough.

He'd had a plan, one that didn't involve shoving his face into books and drooling over lectures every day. He was a master firebender with a specialty in swordplay, and since he was a child all he'd ever wanted was to join the United Forces and help defend the nation he loved so dearly. But, no. His uncle had insisted he go earn a degree, as a "backup plan." Truthfully, Zuko knew he was right. Not everybody was able to join the Force, and just because he was a master didn't exactly mean he was ready for war. Or something.

As more students filed into the lecture hall, his breath hitched as the blue eyed bender waltzed into the room, a smile lit on her face that seemed genuine, like she actually wanted to be here. But she always looked like that, he'd noticed. It was rather...appealing to see her get lost so easily into the lecture, but perhaps that's because this class was a lesson on her heritage, her people. Or well, her nationality anyway. He wasn't sure if she'd come all the way from one of the poles to study here, or if she'd been born and raised in the United Republic. Or had come here as a child, or a teen, or…

He sighed. There were so many things he wished to know about the girl, and yet all he knew was her name, and that she was a waterbender.

But, he was too shy to even approach her, let alone ask her...other things. And, besides…

"Hey Katara."

Zuko turned, but before he even saw the strand of wheat snagged between a set of stark white teeth, he'd known who the sly voice belonged to.

The girl giggled softly, turning to face the boy.

"Hey, Jet."

"You're looking radiant as always. How you manage to do so at ass o'clock every day will forever be a mystery to me."

She rolled her eyes, but her lush lips were still tugged into a smirk. Then, to Zuko's utter surprise, she turned towards him, her cobalt eyes locking onto his.

"Hey, Zuko."

He was trying to make his brain work and his lips move and his vocal chords vibrate, but before he could manage any of that, their professor sauntered his way into the room, and began to babble on about the moon and the waves and all that.

But Zuko was paying less attention than he normally did, for his eyes kept locking themselves onto the shaggy haired boy next to him. Jet kept glancing towards Katara, his eyes twisting up in a way that made Zuko's inner fire flare. Katara deserved better than this...this lowly weasel man.

Zuko didn't know if he was much better, but he had to ask, or at least talk to her. It was now or never.

As soon as the lecture came to an end, Zuko hastily flung his books into his sack and rushed down the stairs to catch up to the blue eyed wonder. They were already outside when he did, the breeze strong. He prayed to Agni that he wasn't sweating up a storm.

"Hey, Katara," he said, staring more at her nose than into her eyes.

"Hey, Zuko, did you need something?"

He paused, wracking his brain for something, anything, to say without making a fool of himself.

"I...just wanted to say hi. Since y-you said hi before...and I, uh. Didn't."

Fuck.

To his amazement, she laughed, an easy, cheerful laugh. It made his knees weak and he stumbled, which only brought on more giggles.

Zuko surprised himself when he found himself laughing along with her. Then, he shocked himself stupid with the next words that popped out between his lips.

"Are you busy tonight?"

She stopped walking. Zuko debated if he should vomit into the bush to his left, or the kiwi berry tree behind him.

But, she offered him a small smile, only leading to more bewilderment numbing his mind.

"Actually, I don't think I am. Jet mentioned something about taking me out to some underground earthbending slaughter fest, but...I think I'll pass on that. Did you have anything in mind?"

Zuko couldn't believe this was happening; that he was going to take this girl out, that he hadn't vomited yet, that he was still breathing (admittedly somewhat labored breathing, but breathing nonetheless).

"I have a Sato Mobile. I could drive you around."

That, however, was a pile of bullshit, and he wanted to smack himself silly. He technically had a Sato Mobile, but it was really his uncle's. Who, conveniently, was out of town on a trip to Ba Sing Se, and he had left Zuko his house key. Just in case.

This seemed to qualify under 'just in case'.

Katara's smile widened, her blue eyes dancing in the midmorning sun. He couldn't believe it. He believed a lot of things. He believed his sister was a lunatic, he believed his father was a cocksucker, and he believed that his uncle was the wisest man he'd ever meant.

But he did not believe that Katara was smiling such a magnificent smile at him.

"Oh wow, really?" she exclaimed.

No.

"I'd never ridden in one! Well, except for this one time my brother tried to drive me in his girlfriend's mobile, but he only went about 3 feet before he screamed and slammed on the break...anyway, I'm in Kuei Hall, pick me up at 8?"

He nodded. She offered him another smile, and strode down the cobblestone path. He couldn't believe it. He was going to drive Katara, Katara, around Republic City later that night. He would've been smiling to himself like a doofus all the way to his dorm, if it hadn't been for one problem.

He had no idea how to drive a Sato Mobile.

"Oh, wow! Is this one of the newer models?"

The girl was striding towards, him, her chest rising and falling against her tunic as she did so. Zuko's inner fire was sizzling. He gulped.

He'd managed to get the Agni damned thing here, but luck was with him for once, as there'd been virtually no one on the road, and he'd driven slower than a sleepy turtle duck. And now, he was going to have to drive this girl around the city, and try not to kill her. Or him. Or both.

She'd hopped right in, falling gracefully into the passenger seat, her brown locks gusting around her as she did so. It wasn't until she'd cocked her head at him that he realized he was staring.

Fuck.

"So, did you wanna just drive around?"

"Yea, sure." He'd love to get them both killed tonight.

He reached his hand over the clutch, gripping it until his knuckles turned white. Shaking his head slightly, he cursed himself. How hard could it be? He'd lived with his father and Azula for years, he'd survived high school, he was enduring college; for Agni's sake, he was a master bender! How hard could driving be?

Apparently, very, very hard.

He'd started them out at a slow pace, hands firmly gripping the wheel, but shortly after he'd begun, he could tell she was looking for something more.

So he gave her more. And he screamed.

He hadn't realized how sensitive the petal could be, so when he slammed down, he shouted and jerked the wheel, drifting them around a corner, and before he made pancakes of them along a brick wall, he jerked the wheel again, sending them flying down an alley street, swerving in between other mobiles he was just barely missing, a fury of honks and shouts aimed at him. As he reached the end of the street, he slammed on the break, as they halted to a whiplashing stop. With wild eyes, he looked over towards her, expecting a water whip and a shriek, but he should've known better. This girl was full of surprises.

"That...was the most fun I've had in a long time!" she hollered, followed by a string of hysterical laughter. He stared at her, wondering if she'd gone completely mad, until her bellowing chimes gripped him, and he found himself laughing along with her. It was crazy, it was stupid, they'd almost died.

It was amazing.

As her laughter stopped, she turned to face him, and before he'd begun to process what was going on, she planted a kiss right onto his lips.

"Thank you, Zuko."