A/N: Just a short, quick drabble I thought of while I was bored. . Hope it satisfies your Zutara needs :] Reviews are greatly appreciated :]
**Disclaimer** I do not own Avatar or the characters in any way or form. (because if I did, there would have been a lot more Zutara-ness!)
Everyone had finished their lunch and was beginning to get lazy. Even Zuko, who always seemed so intent on making sure he spent every free second helping Aang learn firebending, was dragging his feet. Katara blamed the heat; Sokka never needed a reason to feel lazy.
Truth is that all the work they have been putting in everyday finally caught up with them mentally and physically. They were all exhausted.
Katara sighed and gave up on the dishes she was washing half heartedly. Zuko and Aang who had laundry duty and were using air and fire bending to dry everything felt they were too out of it to continue. Finally all five of them sat down in a circle next to the stone fountain.
They all looked around at each other as if asking for something they could do, except not do at the same time. Once, Sokka's eyes widened accompanied with a smile and he even reached to the point of opening his mouth, but just as he was about to let his voice come out, all they got was a sigh and Sokka was back to rocking back and forth while hugging his knees.
"We need something fun to do," stated Aang exasperated.
"Good idea twinkle toes," said Toph, "because none of us ever even thought of that!" Aang, too lethargic to come back with a retort simply stuck his tongue out at her ignoring that she could even not see him doing it.
Then to everyone's surprise Zuko burst out exclaiming that he knew something that they could do. Everyone instantly perked up smiling and expectant. "But it will only work and be fun if we ALL participate." The other four just scoffed, why would they not participate, they had nothing better to do. Still Zuko shook his head, "No, seriously, this is really not going to be easy and you might back down."
"Ok," started Aang anxious to know what the game was, "does everyone here agree to participate no matter how hard the game might be?" His question was greeted with enthusiasm which Zuko finally accepted. He stood up and went to where the cooking supplies were kept. Four pairs of eyes following him as he did. He walked back to them holding something behind his back. When he stood right in front of them he brought it out, it was a bottle. Zuko was obviously amused by the look on their faces as he sat down in his place in the circle and placed the bottle in front of him. Four pairs of eyes were still resting on him, except now they were all questioning his motives.
"So, this is a game they play in the firenation" Zuko began to explain. "What you do is put the bottle in the middle of a circle of people and spin it." He demonstrated. "Then the person who spins the bottle gets to dare the person the bottle finally ends up pointing at." In the demonstration it had stopped and was pointing at Aang.
If the others were doubtful of Zuko's idea of a fun game, they now looked at him with nothing less than awe, well except Toph, though she was thinking it. Zuko knew this would be great because he knew that all of them were too prideful to turn down a dare.
"And what if we don't do the dare?" asked Katara.
"You have to take off a piece of clothing," shrugged Zuko like it meant nothing, but his smirk gave him away.
"What? You just made that up!" accussed Katara.
"No, I didn't, and plus that way it gives people the incentive to do the dare rather than back down." His honey gold eyes bore into her blue ones and he baited her, "But if you don't think you can do it-." He began teasingly before Katara took the bottle and was the first to spin it.
It landed on Sokka. The blue eyed girl smiled evily as Sokka gulped audibly. "Sokka, you are dared to eat the first five things that Toph picks out of the stream."
"Ha!" Sokka just laughed. "It doesn't matter if Toph is picking, she can't see and so can't purposefully make me eat a lobster-slug."
"I don't know Sokka," said Aang getting up to come watch, "it might be more of a bad thing if she can't see what she picks out. Zuko just looked at Katara and mouthed the words 'nice one' before following Aang to see how this turned out.
As it were, Aang was right, Toph picked out five of the most revolting things Sokka could have imagined, one of the five including a lobster-slug. When Sokka was done gagging the five of them returned to the circle to continue the game.
It was Sokka's turn to spin, and the bottle landed on Zuko. The evil smile on the water warrior's face had no effect on the fire prince. "Zuko, I dare you to…" he paused dramatically before continuing, "shave off all your hair!"
The firebender may have been stoic before, but the surprise on his face was undeniable. "No way!" he exclaimed bringing his hands to his hair as if someone were coming at it with a blade. "Do you know how long it will take to grow it all back!"
"Fine," said Sokka, "I don't mind, but if you don't do the dare you better start stripping."
Zuko stole the smirk right off of Sokka's face when he replied, "Sure," and proceeded to make a big show of taking off his shoe. Aang laughed at the loophole his friend had found.
Zuko's spin landed on Toph and his dare seemed too simple and down right pathetic. All Toph had to do was go to the All Day Echo Chamber and yell out a pick up line in her manliest voice.
And so it continued with ever dare being a little harder than the last, except when it came to Zuko's and every one of them were missing at least one piece of clothing. Katara was in her breastwrap, Zuko was missing his shirt as well, while Sokka didn't have either of his shoes or his pants. Aang and Toph were the only two who took every dare save one each.
Now it was Zuko's turn to spin again and it landed on Katara. "Oh great." She scoffed. "I'm sure this will be easy."
"What?" said Zuko looking at the waterbender.
"Nothing, it's just all your dares so far were, what's the word I'm looking for?" She paused before smirking, "Oh, right. Pathetic."
Zuko looked taken aback, but he noticed the other three nodding in agreement. "Fine!" he started, "How's this Katara? I dare you to kiss me!"
This time Katara was the one to be taken aback. She stared at the Prince as if he had just transformed into a giant Turtle-duck. "What?" taunted the firebender scooting over to her. "Is that too much for you to handle?" She didn't answer, but just watched him. "It would be too bad if you backed down though," he briefly scanned at her body just to make a point, "because you seem to be running out of items of clothing to take off." Now he was right in front of her, their knees touching.
"I am not backing down." She growled before putting her hand behind his neck to bring his face closer to hers while leaning in towards him. Her lips met his chastely. She had never been so close to the firebender, and now that she was her head became foggy with his scent swirling around it. It was so warm, a mixture of crackling embers, and woody musk. She felt his hand slide up from her waist while the other held her to him. For the briefest moment they were the only two people in the whole temple. However it ended just as soon as it started and the two of them pulled away from each other. Katara was blushing and could not look Zuko in the eyes.
The Prince who once held an arrogant demeanor was now reduced to an embarrassed blushing pulp as he went back to his seat between to Toph and Aang.