Damn the person who invented straws. Zuko thought, angrily, remembering the memory of pulling the shortest straw and having his friends laugh at him as they left for the park. Damn the person who invented laundry. The teen inwardly growled as he pulled the newly freshened clothes from the drier. He lifted the basket and hefting it under his arm, followed Katara into the living room. And damn my luck. He hated folding clothes, with a passion, yet here he was, getting ready to do just what he loathed. He sighed, loudly.

Katara shot a glare over her shoulder. "Folding laundry isn't so bad Zuko. I mean, I do it all the time for everyone and none of you offer to help. No, you all go through the pain-staking chore of selecting some poor soul to help me." Zuko mumbled something under his breath, earning him another glare. "This may not be some great picnic, but the clothes need to be done. I never complain, even though I have to touch everyone's disgusting underwear and socks!" She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I live with the most whiney people in the entire Nation."

"I'm not whining." Zuko growled. They had reached the living room and Katara plopped down onto the large sectional.

Sighing once more, Katara shook her head. "If you really don't want to help, then you can just drop the basket in front of me and you can be on your way." Zuko's face lightened. He opened his mouth to respond, only to clamp it shut when Katara finished speaking, "I mean, who needs company when you can sit and stare at everyone's laundry, right?" He should have known.

"No," Zuko said through gritted teeth, "I'll stay and help." He dropped the basket, allowing it to land on the floor with a loud thud!, then he lowered himself onto the couch. The dark-skinned teenager smirked, triumphantly.

The pair began pulling out different articles of clothing and slowly began the long, tedious task of folding them.

"This is going to take forever," Zuko grumbled. "I miss having maids to do all this garbage."

"Lucky for me," Katara began, sarcasm dripping like venom from her voice, "I never had maids. I've always done laundry. My mom and I always did it together, but after she died, I took it all on by myself." Her eyes glazed over, drifting back to those days with her mother.

Zuko offered a sympathetic look. "Was that something you two did to spend time together?"

Katara started, suddenly remembering that Zuko was in her presence. "Oh! Actually, now that I think about it, it kind of was. We would joke, gossip, tell secrets…You know, mom and daughter stuff."

"That reminds me of how my mom and I would spend some of our afternoons at the pond, feeding the turtle-ducks. She taught me a lot at that pond; about morals and stuff. She tried to teach me about girls one day, but it was too weird having her - my mother, of all people - trying to tell me about the birds and the bees." Zuko chuckled. He was surprised when Katara began giggling. Then, a serious look took over her features.

"I wonder…" Katara said, hesitantly, then shook her head, as if to give up the thought.

"You wonder what?"

"I wonder if our mothers would have gotten along. They just sound a lot a like."

Zuko leaned back, considering the possibility carefully. "I bet they would have. My mother got along with nearly everyone. She, just, radiated this aura that people found extremely friendly." A small smile eased its way onto the scarred boy's lips. "Uncle used to say people found themselves magnetized to her, wanting to get to know her."

"That's what my Gran-Gran used to say about my mother!" The two shared another round of light laughter, momentarily halting their progress in the mound of clothes.

After they calmed themselves, a comfortable silence set between them and they continued their task. Zuko suddenly found that laundry was not as bad as he thought it would be. They were nearing the middle of the pile and it had not been that long at all. He picked up one his favorite t-shirts that broadcasted one of the bands he listened to and quickly folded it. He turned backed to the basket and felt his body go rigid. There, lying in clear view was the tiniest piece of clothing, if one could call it that, he had ever seen. A thong. Zuko's heart pounded against his chest as he the reality of the item hit him.

Katara noticed that Zuko had frozen. "Are you alright?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

Zuko snapped out of his trance. He turned to her, trying to mask his embarrassment. "I'm f-f-fine."

The tanned girl cut her eyes, clearly not believing him. She merely shrugged and turned back to folding a pair of Sokka's pants. She did not seem to notice the enticing garment in the basket. Zuko inwardly groaned and placed his face in his hands. He was not trained to deal with this sort of thing. Then, a sudden thought hit him. Who in this house did this…undergarment…belong to? Could it be Suki's? She may not be living there, but that did not mean she did not stay the night occasionally. Could she have left a pair accidentally?

Zuko almost gasped aloud when the thought of the possibility of Toph wearing something so revealing. There was absolutely no way the tomboyish girl would be caught with anything of the sort. Which left only one other suspect. Zuko glanced at Katara, a flush threatening to engulf his entire body as the thought of her wearing such promiscuous underwear entered his mind. He shook his head. No! She did not believe in subjecting herself to such skimpy clothing; even if no one else would see it.

However, in the back of his mind, he secretly wished they were hers. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, he found himself strangely attracted to her. He never really understood why, but that did not stop him from day dreaming about her, wanting her to be near him, wanting her to be with him. His eyes dropped to the floor and a slight blush tinted his cheeks. There was no way the Water Tribe beauty would consider him, not after what his people did…not after what he did. He thought he had dealt with that repercussion a long time ago.

Suddenly, a small hand was pressed against his cheek. He jumped at the touch and whirled around to face the very girl he had been thinking about. She was staring at him, intently, curiosity showing on her face. "Well, you don't feel feverish, but your cheeks are really red. What's wrong with you?"

"It's, er, nothing." He said, not taking his eyes off of her. His blush deepened as they sat staring at one another. Katara finally broke her gaze by turning back to the basket, sighing, irritably.

"Men!" she grumbled. She spotted the thong and snatched it up, an embarrassed blush creeping onto her cheeks. Had Zuko seen this? Wait! Everything about Zuko's behavior began to click in her head. Katara turned away from him and smirked.. "Zuko, fold these. I'm going to work on the socks." She quickly tossed the underwear to him without waiting for his answer. He gasped and flailed, trying to catch it. His face quickly became the shade of a tomato as he clutched the tiny garment in his hands. His mouth flapped open and close several times, imitating that of a fish.

Katara burst into a fit of giggles. "I should have known! Sorry, Zuko, I guess I forget not all guys are like Sokka. Some actually become embarrassed when they see women undergarments and don't get all childish. I'll fold them." She held out her hand for them.

Zuko held the delicate item up, intent on giving it back. He stopped short when he realized that he just had to know whose they were. He pulled them back, staring at them, then at Katara before opening his mouth, "Are…are these yours?" His mouth dried instantly as the question passed his lips.

Katara's mouth fell open slightly. She dropped her hand, her eyes suddenly turning toward the opposing wall. She felt her cheeks warm up. "Uh, actually, they're not."

"Then, are they Suki's?"

Katara shook her head, slightly. "No, they aren't Suki's either."

"Then, who do they belong to?"

Katara gave a resigned, sigh, before turning her attention back to Zuko. "Just promise not to freak out, okay?"

Zuko nodded, slightly confused. If they didn't belong to Katara or Suki, then who? And why would he freak out? His eyes suddenly opened wide, matching the size of saucers. "Please, don't tell me they belong to-!" He couldn't finish his sentence.

"They're Toph's. She tried wearing a pair once and loved the feel of them." Zuko gasped and immediately dropped the underwear. He began wringing out his hands, willing the disgust off. He had touched Toph's underwear! Someone he considered a sister! This was so wrong. "I told you not to freak out!"

Zuko jumped up and ran to the adjoining kitchen. "I need to scrub my hands! Right now!"

Katara could not help herself. She began laughing, uncontrollably. "Oh, Spirits, Zuko! You should have seen your face! I wish I had caught it on camera!"

"It's not funny!" The angry teen yelled from the kitchen. "I thought-" He stopped mid-sentence, almost telling on himself and his notion.

The brunette cut her laughing short. "You thought what?" She asked, trying to push him on. Had he thought they were hers? Did he want them to be hers? She blushed at the ridiculous idea. Why would he want that? They were merely friends! She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.

"Nothing." Zuko said, quietly. He looked down at his freshly cleaned hands. How stupid did he look to her? Blushing like an idiot, not being able to control his mouth or words? What an idiot! He clenched his fists and turned toward the entrance to the living room. He froze as his eyes settled on Katara leaning against the frame. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was gazing at him with her ocean deep, blue orbs. He couldn't stop the sideways grin from appearing on his face.

"I know what you were thinking." Zuko's grin faltered. "You were thinking the thong was mine. No big deal." A breath of relief left his lungs. "Just so you know." A pair of underwear flew toward him, landing softly on his shoulder. "I only wear boy shorts."

For the second time that day, Zuko felt a flush wanting to take over his entire body. He gingerly reached up to grab the garment. Katara began giggling at his expression.

"You really are cute when you blush." She smacked a hand over her mouth as soon as the words left her mouth. Oh, Spirits! Did I really say that aloud? She stared at the shocked expression on Zuko's face before bolting from the room, the unnerving feeling of a blush overcoming her face.

Zuko leaned against the counter, having to control his whirling mind. Had she really meant to say that? By her reaction, it seemed she did not, but it did seem she had meant it. He carefully examined the underwear in his hands and smiled sheepishly. Maybe he would volunteer for laundry duty from now on.