A/N: Welp, I'm a scum bag. Was browsing through my old stuff, and completely forgot about this, but now am setting about finishing it. The world is whack, we need goodness in the form of fanfic. I do not own anything.
"Don't you think that was a bit…unnecessary?"
Six games. Six grueling, energy consuming games. Wasn't he tired when he went to his chambers? The vision of a nap flashed across his mind before quickly being snuffed out by his counterparts sardonically raised brow.
"What was unnecessary?"
His confusion only increased with her smirk and the lazy pointing of her index finger. Zuko followed the invisible thread to… Oh, how he hoped this set wasn't of sentimental value to his now snoozing Uncle.
A prominent scorch mark now adorned the outer area of the Pai Sho board his hand had been previously resting on. He immediately set to coaxing it out as best he could with what he had available (Sleeves are great, aren't they?) in mild panic.
"Aren't those robes… uh. Regal or… something?"
The Fire Lord immediately paused, bringing his tired eyes up to his defeater - of six grueling games in a row, are you serious? - and laughed. Laughed at his situation, at the mixture of concern and humor dancing in the azure eyes across from him, at his sleeping Uncle sprawled across the floor since game three. Laughed at the stupid scorch mark that appeared during his four second micro-sleep.
The responsibility that had plagued him since the end of the war, the constant tension, the heavy weight that just seemed to grow every day with the realization of the sheer impossibility and necessity of the task he was given. All seemed so small in this moment, as his shoulders shook and his diaphragm ached in protest. He laughed until Katara joined in, and he found that he quite liked the sound of it.
They laughed until a loud grumbling of a hungry and neglected stomach came bursting through. Suddenly remembering his original plan of 'Nap then Food', the Fire Lord chanced a quick to the clock and…
"We missed Dinner."
"Well, yeah. You were the one who kept insisting on getting their butt kicked for three hours, Sifu Hotman."
Another grumble. She chuckled, grabbing the nearby sack used to keep the game pieces together and began clearing up the board.
"Want to go scavenge for something in the kitchens?"
Zuko nodded silently, stifling a yawn and gathering the tiles in his reach. Katara held out her hand once the board was clear, clenching and unclenching her fingers in a signal to "Hand them here, Sparky." He transferred them without argument, ignoring the faint brush of his fingers against her palm. She deposited them into the half full cloth bag, tying it at the top and nodding at her finished work.
The act of rising from a sitting position after an extended amount of time can be very telling. It can be an affirmation of one's exhaustion, or an outburst of energy finally released after being pent up for far too long. While the young man was a ruler of a nation and trained since literally birth in courtesy and manners, he was a teenager and a dramatic one at that, rising with a mournful groan.
He was promptly shushed by a fiendish Waterbender, and had to restrain another laughing fit at the way her right index finger immediately went to her lips in warning while its counterpart pointed at the resting gentleman on his floor. Oh, this was perfect.
"You're going to love this."
Her face fell immediately in confusion, mouth opened to retort, but was instead distracting by the odd intake of breath from the Fire Lord and opted instead to watch whatever the hell he was doing unfold.
Zuko, in what appeared to be a well-practiced form, let out an oddly building whistle that sounded faintly… familiar. Almost like…
You've got to be kidding me.
The Dragon of the West shot up immediately, looking frantically around the room for a nonexistent whistling kettle and mumbling about an Oolong mixture he had been saving, before straightening up to set a withering glare upon his nephew's innocent grin.
The General softened, ever so slightly, at the sight of Katara failing to stifle another round of chuckles behind a tan hand. He feigned a yawn while subtly scanning Zuko's reaction, and fought back a righteous smirk when observing the way the Fire Lord's gaze travelled to the girl.
"I'll forgive this act of blatant disrespect for the time being, Nephew. Now, if you'll excuse an old man, I'll bid you both goodnight."
"We were actually going to the kitchens, General, if you'd like to join?"
He smiled warmly at the Waterbender, and gently declined, preferring a cup of tea in his own chambers before heading to bed.
The seeds have been planted, now to be patient and watch them grow.
"Shouldn't we at least send Hawky? Maybe give a little warning before showing up on the Fire Nation's doorstep?"
"Sokka. Toph was very clear that it needs to be a surprise. Pretty sure a two week warning would ruin it, don't you think?"
"…Er, sure, Suki."
There is no way that this won't have consequences.
"My sister is going to murder me."
"Oh, don't be such a baby. Are you packed yet?"
Reaching the Kitchens in one trip was nothing short of miraculous to Katara, even if it was due to nothing more than being personally escorted by the Fire Lord himself. Thus far, she had managed to retain a singular knowledge of the direct route from her chambers to the library, and absolutely nowhere else in the palace had been her destination without at least two detours.
Rather than berate herself for her lack of direction, she chose to focus on the immaculate room she found herself standing in. At least twice the size of her own ridiculously large room, with half a dozen stoves lining the walls and at least twelve feet of steel counter space. It was so large, and so much, their presence felt like trespassing. The stark silence and lack of attending palace workers made it all the more nerve wracking.
The girl stood just inside the entrance of the room, fingers mindlessly pulling against each other in a years old nervous habit. Katara contented herself in observing the young man avidly digging through the large cooling cupboard and adding to what was becoming a large pile of ingredients in his arms. She stayed in place, losing herself in trying to see the same person that tied her to a tree so long ago. The same person that defended her need for closure in finding Yon Rha. It was odd, she decided, that a person can be so different, but still remain the same. She stayed in her peaceful reverie until Zuko's voice rang through the silence, comfortable and warm, but impeded by what looked like some type of pepper hanging out of his mouth.
"Do you like eggs?"