I did mention that I like Zutara (to the point where my family is afraid I'll OD on this pairing...). I will therefore be making a bunch of one-shots for them while I try to figure out how to write action scenes that don't make dragonslayers too OP. (Stupid, lovable FT.)

"Hey, Zuko."

The voice came from right behind him. The Firelord spun around, flames at the ready. But then he relaxed a fraction, recognizing the person who spoke. "…Katara! How did you even get in here?"

She wouldn't be here, in his room. Not after the way they'd fought- the way he'd treated her earlier. Was he starting to see things now? While he was awake?

No, please, don't answer that.

"You have the Kiyoshi Warriors protecting you. Suki's my sister-in-law. How do you think I got in?"

Nope, definitely Katara. His mind couldn't pull off that Water Tribe sass of hers.

"…Right."

There was a deep, smothering stillness in the darkness of his chambers. Neither spoke, neither moved- they were scarcely breathing. Well. Zuko was scarcely breathing.

Katara was the first person to break the silence. "About earlier, Zuko-"

"I'm not changing my mind, Katara." His voice was impersonal again, ice-cold, like it had been in the courtyard that that afternoon. "The colonists in Yu Dao are staying."

"…You remember that terrible play we went to see, just before the comet?" Before the duel? The words were left off, but it was unnecessary to voice them; both the firebender and the waterbender knew what she was asking.

"Yeah?" Zuko was startled by the question. What did that have to do with anything?

"Aang was so mad by the time the intermission rolled around. He really believed that that stupid playwright was right about what happened beneath the city."

Both Zuko and Katara cringed slightly. "I remember…"

Why had that idiot- not Aang; the script writer, though Aang had been all too willing to believe- thought that they had kissed?

"…took forever to calm him down- he didn't even want to go to Iroh's party. And then you guys manage to be friends again, and this happens!"

"Katara, I was serious-" But apparently so was she, since she just steamrolled right over him.

"We snuck back in, you know? Of course you knew that- the guards probably reported it." There had not, in fact, been any such report. It seemed that Firelord Zuko would have to find time to deal with this.

He got up to move towards her. "Katara, I'm not-"

"I get why you won't, Zuko." That brought him up short.

What?

"What?"

"I get it." He felt, rather than saw, the way she gestured for him to sit next to her. He sat.

(Only he, Firelord Zuko, would wait to be invited to sit on his own bed, by someone who- despite being his friend- was clearly an intruder.)

"The Gang has seen a lot of places- the Poles, half of the Earth Kingdoms, most of the Fire Nation- so there've been a lot of weird things; the creepy swamps, crazy old ladies, ruins, thieves, brainwashed zombies…And I think Yu Dao might belong on the list. I mean, Aang thought so. He broke up with me." Her voice was small now. "He broke up with me, Zuko."

He placed a warm hand on her back- Colder than usual, Katara noted. She would have to do something about that; he wasn't taking care of himself- and began rubbing it in soothing circles.

Zuko wasn't really one to pry in situations like this- he wouldn't know what to ask, really. So he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind (it was a habit that even his advisors were trying to break), "Mai broke up with me too."

"Because of Yu Dao?"

He nodded, forgetting she couldn't see him in the dark. It didn't matter.

She knew him well enough to know that he had.

"…She said I don't care enough- that I don't pay attention to anything that isn't a secret."

"You do though." The hand on her back paused for a fraction of a second. "Why else would you be doing this for a public secret?"

"Katara?"

She turned to look at him, finding where his eyes would be despite the darkness. "Yu Dao, Zuko. I'm going to help you keep it. I swear."

I'm not wrong.

It was the first thought to run through his head, after her words. Katara never fights for something morally wrong, so I'm right. I'm not wrong.

He slumped backwards onto the mattress, formal armor and all.

"Zuko!"

Immediately, the Warriors swarmed in, looking for a threat. With them, they carried torches.

They saw, in the firelight, Katara leaning over Zuko as he lie on the bed, looking the most relaxed they had seen in days.

"Oops," one of them said.

"False alarm," said another as the girls began to filter out of the room.

"Katara, I am telling Sokka about this." And that was Suki. She, too, started to leave.

Sokka? Katara wondered. Why would she need to-

She looked down at the Firelord. His face was slightly flushed, one hand covering his eyes- but there was a tired smile there, all the same. His clothing was in disarray, hair askew- but he was relaxed in a way he hadn't been since what seemed like forever. And, as Katara noticed her hands had automatically gone to the scar on his chest (that she knew still gave him trouble every so often), the waterbender realized that she was very, very close to her friend. Or, in other words: from where Suki stood, it was very likely Katara and Zuko seemed to be in a more…intimate position that they really were.

"Wait, Suki! It's not-!"

The door closed.

Zuko moved, bringing his hand to hold hers- which was still on his chest, right over that scar. He acted as if there hadn't just been a dozen girls in the room. Girls who seemed to think- Katara blushed. But the light had left the room with the Kiyoshi Warriors, and the other bender was clueless.

"You have no idea how relieved I am, Katara."

And she really didn't.

She had no way of knowing how, for the first time since the whole debacle began, he felt like he might, just maybe, be sane.

They sat in silence for another long moment.

Then:

"But what changed your mind?" From past experience, Zuko knew it had to be something big. Katara was the most stubborn person he'd ever met.

"I wasn't really against it in the first place, Zuko; I just wanted to know your reasons. Aang and I came back into the city after you kicked us out, to do just that. And we did- I did…" He winced at the words. Assuming his scar was really acting up, she pulled water from the air and began to check the wound, shushing his protests. He eventually fell silent and let her do what she wanted. It was the only way to win with Katara, he'd found.

(Besides, having her check over the wound was soothing- the water tingled in a familiar, comforting way.)

She continued, "Once, before we went to the North Pole, we came across this village with a fortune teller. Sokka had thought the whole thing was bogus, and now that I think back on it, she probably wasn't all that accurate. She'd done a reading about the volcano- said it wouldn't erupt and destroy the village. The volcano didn't destroy the village. But that was only because Aang, Sokka and I had made sure that everyone got out, and we organized the villagers to dig a ditch to redirect the lava before hit had the chance to erupt."

"Clever. But what's that got to do with…?"

She removed her hands.

Somehow, Zuko felt colder at their loss. Alone. Again.

He pulled her down next to him, entwining their fingers.

"Hush, your lordliness. I'm getting there." If Katara was surprised by the move, she didn't say. After having forgiven him- and getting over a few misunderstandings- they had been like this. Comfortable. "Anyway, there was this pair of twins- one could earthbend, and the other couldn't even lift rocks half the size of what his brother could move. In the market- after Aang and I had gotten separated- I saw a pair of twins just like them. Except the girl could firebend, and the boy was making stone targets for her, almost faster than she could blast them down."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Aang said that peace could only happen if the elements were separate. But you're just trying to keep families where they belong: together. I couldn't get him to understand…"

They lapsed into the quiet yet again. Only this time it was calm and sleepy and comforting.

"'Tara?"

"Yeah, Zuko?"

"I'm sorry about earlier." He had tried not to hold her arm too tightly, or twist it too far back, but…

"S'okay. Sorry for beating up your men," she yawned.

"Hmm."

And then they fell asleep, hands still fastened together.

I think they might be too mellow right now...

Word Count: 1470, Approx.