Photograph

"Aw, how cute!" Katara gushed, tapping the image of the smiling infant. "You were so chubby. And look at those cheeks!" She glanced over at Zuko to see his face turning darker and darker shades of red.

"Are we done? I think the movie's almost downloaded," he grumbled. Katara saw right through his mock grumpiness and chuckled.

"Oh, come on. There's only a few more pages left." She nudged him and he sighed but didn't try to stop her. She gave his leg an affectionate pat and he gently placed his hand over hers. Instantly, she felt her body temperature spike.

The two of them had been spending a lot of time together lately and she had to admit that her feelings for him were powerful. A chance meeting at a local bookstore had led to a couple of group hang outs with friends. Over time, the group got smaller and smaller until it was just the two of them. This was their third solo date and Katara couldn't deny that she had enjoyed every moment getting to know him.

As she flipped the last page of the album and caught sight of the photo, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Zuko, is that...that's me!"

"What?!" He grabbed the album to take a closer look as Katara peered over his shoulder. Sure enough, it was a photo of Zuko playing in a sandbox with a dark haired, blue eyed girl. They were smiling at each other as they both clutched the same toy bucket.

"How do I not remember this?" she said in awe, her finger running over the four year old version of herself.

"I can't believe this! I feel like I should have remembered you when we met. I mean you're so beautiful-" he suddenly stopped short and Katara stared at him in shock. He had always told her how nice and pretty she looked but she had never heard him sound so...romantic. He looked petrified and her expression softened into a smile. She placed her hand on the side of his face, gently caressing his cheek. He looked away briefly but then his eyes found their way back up to meet hers.

"You really think I'm beautiful?"

She wasn't sure why she had even asked that question, but it was too late to take it back.

"Of course, Katara." He spoke without hesitation and she suddenly felt like her face was on fire. The intensity in his gaze was mind-numbing. "I've never met anyone like you in my life. And judging by how happy I look in that picture, I knew back then that you were special."

Katara grinned as her heart pounded mercilessly in her chest. She couldn't believe what she was hearing and how perfectly his words matched her own feelings for him.

"Well, I'm just glad we found our way back to each other," came her gentle reply.

Zuko's gaze shifted to her mouth and she knew what was coming. Rather than waiting for him to initiate, she leaned in and made contact. The softness of his lips caught her by surprise but she recovered quickly, intensifying the kiss. His fingers tenderly combed through her hair and she nearly melted beneath his touch. The passionate moment ended almost too quickly and Katara was breathless. She felt giddy and nervous at the same time.

"I want to be with you, Zuko!" she blurted out suddenly. Her own outburst surprised her and to her delight, Zuko laughed.

"Good, because I want to be with you, too."

He pulled her into his arms then and she curled up against him, sighing. Her eyes shifted once again to the picture. She wasn't sure how she'd lost touch with him the first time around but she was going to make sure it never happened again.

Based loosely on this prompt: "Imagine your OTP looking through baby albums of each other only to find that they were friends as kids."