Finally

SUMMARY: Zuko and Katara just want to spend Valentine's Day alone— but the universe seems to have other plans. (Not that the universe ever stopped them.)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

"Finally."

Zuko locked the deadbolt in the door to their modest home as though Suki and Sokka would march right back in with Kya, even if they just heard their car leave the driveway.

Katara laughed as she gently turned him around and cupped his face in her hands, pressing her lips to his lightly. She felt him sigh in relief.

"Happy Valentines," she murmured, mouth ghosting over the sharp line of his jaw. The slight stubble didn't bother her, but it did send a spike of concern in her gut. Her husband always made sure he was clean-shaven, avoiding looking too much like his abusive father, but maybe the past few months took a toll on his routine. Having a newborn in the house—

Katara moaned, her train of thought disrupted, as Zuko shifted them and pinned her against the door, biting none-too-gently at the sensitive spot on her neck. She raked her hands through his hair automatically, sighing as his mouth landed hot kisses down her exposed shoulder and along the plunging neckline of her dress, his hands slowly roving down to her hips.

"Zuko, we have dinner reservations," she said, even though she really didn't want him to stop. His indignant huff indicated he didn't want to stop, either, but he pulled himself up and rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed.

"It's just— it's been too long."

"I know," Katara smiled sympathetically, bringing her hand to his scarred cheek. He leaned into her touch and kissed the inside of her wrist. "But it's the first time after Kya was born, and I… I want it to be special."

Zuko opened his eyes and gave her a small smile. "I know."

"Besides," Katara said, straightening out the collar of his shirt, "Sokka and Suki have Kya until tomorrow. We have the whole night to ourselves."

His eyes darkened and one side of his mouth lifted higher than the other, sending shivers down Katara's spine.

"Alright then," he lightly brushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. "We better finish dinner fast."

They didn't finish dinner fast.

The universe seemed to be conspiring against them. They had to wait for almost an hour for a table to open up; Zuko would have been perfectly alright going to their usual Valentine's Day restaurant, but no, his wife insisted they try "something new and exciting" this year, but this new and exciting place was too exciting that the only table available after the long wait was at the back by the swinging kitchen doors.

Their orders took so long to arrive and when it did, it got mixed up with the neighboring table's. It didn't help that the other table was a chatty, newlywed couple whose questions Katara entertained cheerfully, making dinner a much lengthier affair than necessary. Zuko tried not to appear too surly, especially with Katara subtly kicking him under the table and giving him that look that clearly meant be nice, but by the time the check came, Zuko felt too exhausted to drive back, let alone perform.

Not that he'd let anything stop him tonight. No, he'll just have to power through or die trying.

"Finally," he said for what seemed like the fifth time that night— he'd lost count after the maître d' led them to their table— and closed the door tightly behind them as Katara collapsed on the couch, toeing her high heels off.

He collapsed right beside Katara, burrowing his face in her hair and snaking his arms around her waist.

"I never want to eat out again," he mumbled into her shoulder. He felt rather than heard her amused laughter.

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad," she said, carding her hands through his hair. He harrumphed in disbelief, head still buried in the crook of her neck. She planted a kiss on his temple before straightening up and reaching for her purse.

"I'm going to check on the baby," she said, fishing for her phone. She completely missed the incredulous look Zuko gave her.

"Katara, it's like, five hours after her bedtime," he said, but she just pursed her lips and tapped on her brother's phone number.

Zuko sighed resignedly, loosening his tie and heading to their bedroom. He'd just discarded his shirt when Katara appeared in the doorway, worrying her lower lip. His heart raced at her expression.

"Did something happen?"

She glanced at her phone. "They're not answering my calls."

He took a steadying breath, running a hand through his hair to calm his nerves. Suki and Sokka were experienced parents of three kids, surely they'd tell them if something went wrong, unless they were too busy handling an emergency—

"I'll check my phone," he said, squeezing Katara's shoulders briefly as he made his way to the living room. He hadn't even unlocked his phone yet when a sharp knock rapped on the door.

Katara rushed to open it, Zuko close on her heels. Outside was a very disgruntled Sokka, proffering Kya to them as though she was a ticking bomb, not even commenting on Zuko's state of undress.

"Your kid's a monster," he declared bluntly.

"What?!" Katara immediately tucked the happily babbling baby protectively in her arms. Zuko narrowed his eyes at Sokka, who just looked stoically back at him, hair sticking out at odd places and dark rings evident under his eyes.

Suki appeared behind Sokka with Kya's diaper bag and whacked him lightly at the back of the head with the baby's dragon plushie.

"She was perfectly sweet," Suki assured them as Kya cooed, struggling to reach for her dad with chubby little hands, "But she is… kinda… hyperactive?"

"Why didn't you warn us that she could already crawl?" Sokka said despairingly, gesturing wildly.

Both Zuko and Katara looked dumbfounded. Kya happily tugged on her mom's hair, blissfully unaware that she was the topic of conversation.

"She can't crawl yet," Zuko said, but his tone was laced with uncertainty. Katara nodded in doubtful agreement.

Sokka was having none of it.

"She did! She's like a whirlwind around the house! We can't keep track of her! And for some reason, she got out of the baby gate! Sometimes we can't even open it, how did she do that? Our perfectly baby-proofed house can't stand a chance!"

"Sokka, calm down," Suki said, handing over Kya's baby things to Zuko. "We're really sorry we ruined your evening, you guys, but we just— it's a bit too much right now, with three toddlers in the house. We gotta head back, we left the kids with our neighbor, and he's not really happy about it—"

"We understand," Katara interrupted, adjusting her grip on Kya, who'd just turned around to look curiously at her aunt and uncle.

"It's okay, really," Zuko said, resting a hand over his daughter's curly hair, "We're just glad she's safe."

"Well, we're glad we're safe—" Sokka started, but Suki grabbed his arm and dragged him to their car with an apologetic wave at the new parents.

Katara and Zuko exchanged a look as Suki and Sokka's car sped away. Kya took that moment to grab Zuko's finger in her tiny hand and spit up over Katara's dress.

"It's too early for her to be crawling," Katara mused as she wiped the spittle from her daughter's chin.

Zuko's face fell as he stroked Kya's smooth cheek. "Uncle said Azula started walking at around nine months."

"Zuko," Katara shifted the baby slightly so she could grip her husband's arm. "We've been over this. We're not your parents. She won't end up like Azula."

He scrubbed a hand over his face. "I know."

Katara frowned thoughtfully. "Gran-Gran said I started crawling early too, come to think of it." She nudged him with her shoulder. "Looks like she's just taking after her mama."

"Gods, I hope so." He kissed her forehead and took Kya from her arms, making funny faces at his daughter as he did so. He glanced at Katara. "You go get changed. I'll put her to bed."

"Thanks," Katata smiled warmly at him and tenderly brushed a lock of hair from his eyes. "I love you."

He smiled tiredly back at her, his features softening entirely. "Love you, too."

It took awhile to convince Kya to go to sleep. She liked her pre-bedtime bath so much that it seemed to energize her more than calm her down. She toddled around in her crib, babbling at the random things she attempted to grab. Zuko sighed.

"Please, honey," he pleaded, picking her up for what seemed like the eighth time, "Daddy just wants to rest. You already made sure Mommy and I won't get any alone time anymore, anyway, so you might as well just go to sleep."

Kya just grinned at him with crinkled blue eyes and blew a raspberry.

Zuko sighed again and bounced her on his hip, reaching for one of her bedtime stories on the shelf.

That didn't work, either, although it did calm her down some. A last resort idea popped into Zuko's desperate mind.

"Alright, you leave me no choice," Zuko told her seriously, cradling her close to his chest. "Daddy's only doing this because he loves you, and because he knows you won't tell anyone."

He cleared his throat quietly, took a deep breath, and began to sing.

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy…"

He hadn't even finished the first stanza when Kya's eyelids began to droop. Zuko smiled, pressing a light kiss on her forehead before setting her down in her crib and securely tucking her between her pillows.

He lingered at the nursery for a few moments, making sure she was truly out of it, before heading quietly to the bedroom. He pressed a hand to his nape, wincing as he stretched the kinks in his muscles.

"She's asleep. Finally—"

He stopped short when he saw Katara on the bed, propped up on her elbows, wearing a red, barely-there chemise night dress instead of her usual shirt and underwear combo. His eyes traced the slender curves of her body and his mouth quirked.

"You sure?"

She hummed, peering at him through thick lashes, her head cocked at an angle. "Convince me."

He smirked, making his way to her side without breaking eye contact. He kissed her, languidly, unhurriedly, slowly, tracing patterns on the smooth skin of her back and arms, savoring the feeling of goosebumps that followed the trail of his fingers. Her breath hitched and he pulled her closer, deepening their kiss, lightly pulling at her lower lip with his teeth as his hands traveled up her thighs, teasing the hem of her nightgown before gliding farther away to rest chastely on the curve of her hip.

She moaned impatiently, mouth still locked on his, and she rolled him onto his back, climbing on top of him; her hair fell like a dark curtain around them, her skin tinged pink. Zuko reached up to kiss her again, but she pulled back, brow raised teasingly as she laced their fingers together and pinned his arms over his head, her eyes sparkling mischievously. Slender fingers of one dark hand traced his lips, traveled down his torso, and grasped his hardened member through his boxers. Zuko groaned, but she tightened her grip on his wrists.

Her quiet laughter sent warm shivers through his core.

"I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with you tonight."

"Finally."

A/N: Yay, Dadko and Momtara for the win! Hope you guys liked it, even though I'm too chicken to write sex scenes. This was a prompt I got from post/171036160653/your-otp-has-recently-had-a-child-whether because I was bored from writing my other fanfics and needed a break from those universes. Anyway, please tell me what you think!