Angel: Omg you guys, I'm so sorry I haven't been updating this story. Those of you who follow me on DA will have seen the next few fanfics before - but I was really lazy about uploading them here. But, because I'm bored and in a Zutara mood, here you go :D
Suppose the topic title should really be changed...but technically, I wrote most of these while still suffering AWS. So it still counts, lol.
To all those who wish to gloat about the end ships in the finale...umm, seriously, get a life. I've made my peace with the horribleness of the many many plotholes, and will continue writing anyway. Get over it.
Now that that's out of the way, here's drabble 9: Hug. Enjoy!
By the way, for those of you who read this and think the story seems vaguely familiar, I originally wrote this with the fantastic Zelink story "For the Best" by the lovely CrazygurlMadness in mind. Her story is different to (and way better than) mine, but I feel I should acknowledge her unknowing inspiration anyway :D
9. Hug
Zuko glanced up from his book as he heard the doorbell ring. Looking over at the clock, he swore softly to himself as he put his book back on the coffee table. "Who the hell would be coming here at this hour in the bloody rain?" he muttered angrily before stumbling over to the door.
His anger immediately evaporated as he opened the door and saw who it was. Katara stood on his porch, shivering in the cold. She was completely soaked, her hair was falling out of its ponytail, she was missing one of her earrings, and she looked absolutely miserable.
Zuko stepped back, his eyes widening. "Katara? What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding shocked.
She sniffed, wrapping her arms around herself. "Can I come in?" she asked, her voice sounding very small and rather unlike her.
Still looking surprised, Zuko nodded. "Uh, of course! Just, ah, let me move some things around first," he said, turning back into his living room and hurriedly picking up various parts of the mess that was his lounge room, and depositing it all in a conveniently-placed box in the hallway.
When he returned, Katara was standing in front of the door, still sniffing. It was obvious to Zuko that the wetness on her face wasn't just because of the rain. She had been crying. He hovered near the opposite door, looking slightly anxious. "Uhh...did you want something?" he asked hesitantly.
When her eyes filled with tears, he realised his words could be interpreted as meaning he didn't want her there – like a harsh "what are you doing here?" He stepped forward hastily. "No no, that's not what I meant! I just, uh, wanted to know if you wanted anything. You know, like a drink or something," he qualified, feeling stupider by the minute.
She shook her head, still looking very small and vulnerable. Zuko stared at her. "Well ah, I'm going to go get some stuff anyway. I'll be back in a minute or so," he said, lingering in the doorway as though afraid she'd run away or something if he wasn't watching her. He then turned to leave, hurrying to get back and figure out just why the heck Katara was at his door (his, of all people) at midnight.
True to his word, a few minutes later he returned with a warm towel, and a mug of hot chocolate (that he had been about to drink himself before she showed up). Katara accepted both without a word, though a tiny smile lit her face when she saw that he'd put just three tiny marshmallows in. He remembered.
Once the towel was around her shoulders and the drink safely in her hands, Zuko spoke, still looking hesitant. "Katara, what's going on?" he asked gently, looking as though he was about to put his hand on her shoulder, but thought better of it at the last minute.
As she opened her mouth to say something, her phone started ringing. Katara froze, staring at her bag, but didn't move.
Raising an eyebrow at this odd behaviour, Zuko slowly leaned forward to grab her bag, rummaging through it quickly to locate the mobile. He hesitated briefly (to see if Katara would stop him) before turning it over to see who it was. Caller ID confirmed it was Jet, Katara's fiancé.
Zuko frowned at that, and was about to hand the phone to her when he accidentally hit the "answer" button. Jet's voice then entered the room, sounding frantic. "Katara? Where the hell are you? Do you have any idea how worried I am? God Katara, why wouldn't you just answer your bloody phone? I tried calling everyone! Hell, I even called Sokka, and you know how much we hate each other! Honey, I said I'm sorry! What more do you want? Just listen to me, please sweetie! I'm sorry, ok? I didn't mean to do it, I just…"
It was at that point Zuko hung up. Katara had flinched as soon as he started talking, and Zuko saw no point in forcing her to listen to any more of Jet's pleading. Plus, he didn't really like hearing it either. Jet was a jerk, in Zuko's opinion. Not that his opinion really mattered anymore to Katara. "No, don't think about that again," his mind snarled.
Shaking his head to clear it, Zuko looked over at Katara, who was now trembling again, spilling her drink when she placed it on the table with shaking hands. He was about to speak when the phone rang again. This time, Zuko turned it off. "Katara, what's going on?" he asked uncertainly.
She wrapped the towel tighter around her shoulders, saying nothing. Zuko sighed. "Just sit down for awhile then," he said, turning to go back to the kitchen and ring the others to see if they knew what had happened between Jet and Katara. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
As he tried to turn away, Katara moved, practically throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "It hurts!" she cried before sobbing hysterically into his shoulder.
Zuko was so surprised by her actions that he stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before wrapping his arms around her too. As she cried, he gently rubbed his hand up and down her back, the other buried in her hair, doing what little he could to calm her down. After a long time, her sobs subsided to small sniffles, and she hugged him tighter. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice sounding muffled against his shirt.
Now extremely worried, Zuko pulled away slightly and gently cupped her chin with his hand. "Please, Katara, tell me what's wrong," he said earnestly. "I can't stand seeing you so sad. Please, Katara," he murmured, absolutely hating the way her eyes filled up with tears. Katara was one of the strongest people he knew – she never cried. He hated it when she did cry, as it made him feel so worthless and useless. Seeing her cry also made him want to break something...or someone.
She sniffed, her blue eyes looking larger as she stared up at him. "Jet," she murmured, and Zuko's arms tightened around her, his eyes burning with anger. "Jet, he...he...cheated on me!" she howled, fresh tears spilling from her cheeks. "We went out to dinner, and it was all wonderful, and then he told me he's been cheating with some girl for like the past year. And he told me that he was sorry, and that he would have stopped after the wedding, and I told him that I never wanted to see him again, and I broke off my engagement and oh no! What would Dad say?" she said, bursting into tears again at the thought.
Zuko continued to rub her back soothingly, now frowning. "Katara, I don't think your dad will be angry. I think he'll be relieved and happy because his baby girl will come back home."
Katara's sobs grew louder at that, and Zuko cursed himself for his lack of tact. "I'm sorry Katara, I didn't mean it," he trailed off nervously, simply hugging her tighter.
She sniffed. "It hurts Zuko! He was sleeping with some other girl and he betrayed me and he broke my heart and it hurts!" she sobbed, her cries quickly dissolving into near hysterics.
Zuko nodded, simply holding her until her tears died down again. "Well, he doesn't deserve someone with a heart of gold like you," he murmured, tilting her chin up to face him. "I'm so sorry that he hurt you Kat. I know I said I'd always stand by you and protect you from everything, but these last few months I've practically been ignoring you, and….I'm just so sorry," he said earnestly.
Katara smiled sadly, moving her hand up to cover Zuko's (which now rested on her cheek). "Its not your fault Zuko. I was the one who was fooled by him. I was the one who ignored everyone who warned me about him. I was the one who pushed you away when Jet asked me to marry him," she said softly, her face scrunching up with pain at the last before she continued. "And yet, even after all those arguments we had about him, and all the horrible things I said to you when you tried to warn me, when I'm in pain and I turn up at your door, you welcome me in with open arms. I don't deserve a friend like you," she murmured, leaning her head on his chest, breathing in his warm scent. "Thank you," she said, closing her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her again.
Zuko blinked, surprised. "Of course I'd help you Katara, you're one of my dearest friends. And I'm so sorry about all those awful things I said last time we spoke – I was just so upset that you had someone else looking out for you. I wanted to be the one who protected you and cared for you, but Jet was the guy in your life then. Jet was the one you turned to instead, and I hated that. I felt I was breaking my promise to you, and losing my best friend."
She smiled, her eyes still closed as she hugged him. "You didn't break your promise – you tried to protect me, and I just didn't listen. And you'll never lose me – I won't ever give up such a great friend like you. Who else would hug me after I showed up at their door at mid night? Sokka would have just thrown something at me," she said, chuckling softly.
"Yes, he would have – assuming he even heard the doorbell," Zuko said with a small smile before using his hand to turn her face towards him again. "Are…are you sure you're ok?" he asked, not quite sure what else to say as he stared into her eyes.
She smiled sadly again. "Yes Zuko, I'm fine," she said. At his raised eyebrow, she sighed and shook her head. "Ok, so maybe I'm not. But I will be. I just need…" she continued, trailing off hesitantly.
"What?" Zuko asked anxiously, tensing slightly.
Katara moved back into his arms. "This. I need this. I need someone to hug me. I need to know someone out there really cares. I need my friends. I just need this hug," she murmured, burying her face in his shoulder again.
Zuko relaxed. "Well, I'm more than happy to do this," he murmured, hugging her back again, resting his head on hers.
Hugging him made her feel loved, and made her feel safe and wanted again. Hugging him eased her heartbreak at Jet's hands. Hugging him was all she wanted right now.
Hugging her made him feel happy again. Hugging her gave him the possibility of another chance. Hugging her eased his heartbreak from losing her. Hugging her was all he could have asked for in that moment too.
Angel: Aww, I'd almost forgotten how much I love this drabble! It used to be the longest one in my list...but let's just say it got eclipsed by some later works, lol. Anyways, please let me know what you think - it will make me write more/update faster! :D
cya, Angel
