So yeah, I've commited myself to Zutara week. Excuse the length and grammar, I wrote this in like 30 minutes.
Day 1: Family
Zuko has always longed to be part of something.
He doesn't take his usual seat by the campfire with the rest of the gang. Instead he sits in his tent and listens to them talk. They laugh about the events of the day, they tell jokes they've told about a million times. They talk about what makes them happy and the joys of life, in Sokka's case: food. He'll join them soon enough, but not now. Now, he's just taking it all in. The sounds of his family. His family. The word was so new to him, yet so welcomed. He'd always longed for one, a proper one. The closest thing he ever had to a family was Ursa and Iroh. Now Zuko had a family, not connected by blood, but by heart. And he loved them as if they were his own brothers and sisters. He chuckled. Who would have thought a year ago, I'd be calling the avatar my family? But here he is, and he's happier than ever.
He stops his daydreaming for a moment after he distinctly hears his name. "Hey, did any of you notice Zuko's not here?" Coming from what he recognizes as Aang's voice. It was followed closely by Toph's. "I've known Sparky's not here for a while now, he's in his tent. You seeing people don't notice anything do you?"
He hears gentle footsteps approaching his tent. A beautiful face pops through the flaps. "Zuko, is anything wrong? Why aren't you outside with the others? Are you ok?" Her voice's beauty matched her face's.
"You know what Katara?" Zuko smiled, "For the first time in a long time, nothing is wrong."
She returned the smile. "Come on, lets go eat." She beckoned him outside. He grabbed her arm before she walked out the door. He pulled her close to him and kissed her.
"You know I love you, right?"
"Yeah. I love you too."
Zuko's family are his best friends. And maybe something more.