Title: Fighting for You
Pairings: ultimately Zutara
Rating: PG17/M
Warnings: Modern AU. Language, some violence, occasional citrus.
Summary: Katara is the Princess of the SWT, a branch of The Tribe, a waterbending mafia based out of the North Pole, establishing themselves in Ba Sing Se. Zuko the banished prince of The Nation, a firebending syndicate, is involved in the amateur fight scene of Ba Sing Se. Katara's financial interests turn physical as they raise up in ranks but glory has a price when Zuko's past comes back.
oooOOOoooOOOooo
"Good! Much better!" Toph called out, slapping the mat in approval. They'd been working like mad on his ground work all morning, Toph saying he still needed work. "But a lot of those yahoos you've been fighting have been giant lumps. You're starting to get like them. You need to be quicker. Aang!" she motioned for the diminutive young man who was happily working the speed bag. He stopped the bag and trotted over looking like he wanted to kiss the girl. Weirdo. His bald head had a layer of sweat and his orange shorts with the blue stripes hung off his slender hips, his feet were bare except for the ankle tape, and he was nearly a head and a half shorter than Zuko. And Toph wanted them to fight.
"He's not in my weight class. I can't fight him." Zuko examined his supposed opponent and dismissed the idea completely.
"You can and you will." Toph smacked Aang on the bare chest and for a moment there Zuko was sure that some kind of sexual energy passed between the two. "Twinkletoes here is a quick SOB and he'll keep you on your toes."
Aang hopped into the ring, grinning like he'd been promised a BJ if he kicked Zuko's ass. Maybe that was his and Toph's arrangement. "Scared of some little guy?" he taunted, lightly pounding his gloves together. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you." Toph wasn't lying, every move that Zuko tried to land Aang easily dodged. He was like a little tornado that Zuko just couldn't quite catch. In the rare event that Zuko landed a blow, Aang was quick to land three. To say he was getting frustrated was an understatement. Zuko felt like a snarling badger-wolf trying to get a laughing lemur-bat. It was pissing him off. He tried to think, tried to predict, tried to gain some kind of ground but nothing. Zuko found himself getting jabs from this way and that, a sidekick in the thigh. He was grabbed by the leg and flipped onto his back more times than he could count only to have the little bald guy float away bouncing on the balls of his feet waiting for Zuko to get back up only to do it again. Finally when he knocked to the ground for the umpteenth time, Toph stopped the match. Her feedback was less than helpful with a string of vulgarity about his lack of attention and/or balls; apparently both were the same to her.
She turned away from him and got in the ring with Aang herself. "Let me show you how it's done," Toph goaded. Zuko watched as the petite earthbender kicked the airbender's ass. Though it reminded him of Katara and his spar months ago that was almost like foreplay. They moved off each other so well, she was grounded, he was light. Her footwork was heavier than his own but they were just similar enough that Zuko got the point. Toph finally called the spar when Aang lifted her in the air pretending that he was going to drop her to the mat. It was easy to see the affection the two had despite her gruff and his flippant exteriors.
"Now you Sparky," Toph ordered, climbing back out of the ring after slapping Aang on the butt. Zuko climbed back in and it was the same as before. The second round was the same, the third a bit better, and by the fourth spar he finally got it all to Toph's approval. "It's not about strength! You gotta be light. Watch him! Watch him on your left. Keep your hands up, elbows in. Yeah! That's it. That's it. He's down. You got him. Good job!" she cheered as Zuko offered out his hand to help Aang up. They patted each other's backs and Aang congratulated him. "Not a lot of people get me on my back. Good job, man."
"Thanks," Zuko nodded, beaming internally at his victory.
"Alright, ladies. You did good. Go hit the showers. We're done for today."
As the water rushed over him, he replayed the fight in his head memorizing his footwork, what moves worked. Even though his next opponent wasn't for another three more weeks, he was quick. The footage showed him running circles around the other guys, tiring them out so that he could get it for the win. Toph was awesome in that she knew all Zuko's weaknesses and his strengths and helped him develop both. Jet had been good, but she kicked his ass every time and made him a better fighter in the process. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he headed for his locker, checking his phone for any calls or texts from Katara. Not that he was expecting her to call, but he did have a sweet "I'm thinking of you" text followed by a dirty "wishing you were here" picture message with panties peeking out from underneath a hitched up skirt. Damn he was a lucky guy.
He slipped on the shirt and jeans all while his mind was on Katara and that naughty image. Gathering up his things, he waved good-bye to Toph and Aang and a couple of the other guys in the gym and aiming the remote at his SUV beeped it unlocked, he heard a voice behind him.
"Hi, Zuko." Her voice was soft and pleasant. Despite that, he froze, nearly dropping his bag. His eyes slipped closed and he bowed his head. Breathe. He turned and there she was.
He stared blankly at her. After eight years, she had the audacity to show up out of the blue like this. He laughed despite himself. "You know, I've never believed in hitting a woman but half of me wants to punch you in the face."
Jin, in all her confident sweetness, just stood. "And what does the other half want?"
"To run you over with my truck."
An eternity of silence passed between the couple. "I know," she swallowed thickly.
The rage in him bloomed, bursting from his lips like a geyser, "You know? You don't fucking know. You don't know what it's like to get left like that. You don't know how our daughter- your child! - almost died that night because of your negligence. Because you… you couldn't deal with it. You don't know what it's like to have to be both Dad and Mom, wondering where the next meal comes from, how the hell I'm gonna buy her a new shoes or a coat. Working shit jobs just to make ends meet. You don't know shit!" He could have kept on going but it would have been in vain. They were words that had been spoken a hundred times before.
Year after year he had envisioned this moment and frankly it wasn't what he expected. There should have been tears over wanting to see their daughter, some passionate plea to take her back, screaming at what a fool one of them had been, but there was none of it. "Zuko, I know. I'd say I'm sorry but that's not enough. It'd never be enough. I messed up bad and I accept that. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Liang." She rummaged in her huge purse and pulled out her wallet. Inside were a good handful of the pictures Zuko had sent her over the years. "I have more at the house. Obviously I can't keep them all here. But yeah… I don't expect you to forgive me and I don't ask for it. I guess then you're wondering why I'm here?"
Zuko gave her a look that clearly said, "You think?"
"I'm a journalist," she explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Zuko was amazed how she'd hardly changed. Her dark hair, even after all these years, was up in a messy ponytail. How many times had he helped her tuck it behind her ear like she was doing now? He had to admit, she looked good. Still had the nice curves, soft face, and those green eyes were had such an innocent beauty to them. They were Liang's too. She had gone back to school, after a year of depression and loneliness, going to college and earning her degree in journalism. She was sent by some local newspaper to interview him, she said. Zuko remembered she was great at getting information. He'd been a closed shell when they had met and she had managed to find out all his hopes and dreams. Unfortunately their dreams never meshed. She wanted adventure, he wanted stability. She wanted to be a famous journalist, he just wanted a family. Those were just other things they fought over. "They asked me to do a bit on the Dragon of the Lower Ring. That's what they call you, y'know?"
"Yeah, I've heard."
"I don't know why they chose me. Maybe because they heard you and I used to be something back in the day. Who knows," she snorted. "Listen, there's a little joint down the street, maybe we can go there and talk a bit. Strictly professional, I swear."
The wheels churned in his head. This business was all about shucking away emotions and getting the job done. Right now had to be about the biggest shucking of emotions he'd ever had. His anger didn't matter, their past didn't matter. She had a job to do and so did he. He couldn't say no and he knew it. This sucked. Big time. "Fine," he growled, hefting the gym bag off the ground. "Eight o'clock."
"Thank you Zuko."
"Don't thank me yet."
The restaurant was pretty empty due to it being the middle of the work week. They took their drinks in the bar, cozied up nicely at a little table. She was professional with her questions; he was professional with his answers. Then she asked about his relationship with his manager. "Yeah, Jet's a great guy-"
"I'm talking about the Ms. Kuruk." He stopped playing with the lone dumpling on the plate and stared at it. Slowly his eyes lifted and he saw her inquisitive gaze.
"Ms. Kuruk?" he replied thickly.
"There's rumors about her involvement in the local mafia."
"Not true."
Jin's lips tweaked upward. After all these years she still knew when he was lying. "Well, regardless of that, there are rumors of your relationship being more than business. Is this true?"
He caught her eyes again and he was surprised to see a bit of hurt, and maybe even a little jealousy, in them. "No comment." What right did she have to be hurt by his personal life? She made that choice years ago to not be a part of his life. She went on, "Is she involved… with your daughter?" Strictly business just as promised but he knew the words killed her. Her shoulders slunk and her voice caught on them.
"Yeah. She is. She's stepped in for the mother that chose another path." The Jack and Coke burned down his throat and he wasn't able to meet her eyes, instead motioning for another one. "Next question."
"How is she Zuko?" Jin's voice softened and Zuko's heart almost broke for her. Like he said, it was her choice.
"She's good. She's going to be starting third grade. She's getting tall. Like me."
"Does she bend?"
Zuko smiled, "No. She doesn't. But she's incredibly smart. Like her mom."
Jin played with the rim of her glass, "You've done a great job. Probably better without me than with." Perhaps. Who can ever know something like that? Spirits knew he'd been better with his mom than without. But as Uncle would say, destiny has a funny way of making you who you are. He waited patiently. Was this when she was going to ask to see her and he could blow up in her face? Was this when he was going to forgive her?
Neither happened.
"Would it be weird to ask how you're doing?" his voice softened, leaning back casually in his chair. The remainder of the time together in the bar of the semi-vacant restaurant in the Middle Ring was spent catching up on past times and new. Glancing down at his watch, he needed to get home. He picked up the tab and walked Jin to her car. "Thanks for the interview," she giggled, nibbling on her bottom lip. Agni, he must have had too many drinks because that still turned him on.
"Hope you only write about the good stuff." He grinned stupidly down at her, holding her car door open.
"Definitely." She tucked a stray stand over the shell of her ear and gave him that gentle look. All rational thought disappeared when she stepped forward and he didn't step back.
"Jin," he caught her hands that tried to snake around his neck, pulling them down between them, "Stop." His lips tingled from her kiss. He should have stopped her and could have but deep down he was curious. She had been his first everything- his first girlfriend, first kiss, they'd lost their virginities to each other. She was the mother of his child for Agni's sake. Yet much to his surprise he felt nothing. No love, no anger. Nothing. Time had had a funny way of erasing his memories of her. Especially after Katara had entered his life and taken a role that he'd never thought she'd take.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, blushing brightly for their indiscretion. "I shouldn't have done that."
"Yeah," he shoved his hands deep in his pockets and turned away. "Look, I'm glad things are going good for you and I wish you all the best but it's just…"
"No, no. I understand. Like I said, I don't expect anything. Just one thing," Zuko shivered in the night air, "Don't tell her you saw me tonight."
"Liang?"
"No. That Katara chick. I hear she's pretty scary and I've heard stories of the Tribe. I can't imagine what she'd do to me."
Zuko smiled despite himself. "I think you'll be okay. Good luck with your story then. G'night." The intimate hug felt like closure, something both of them needed to finalize everything so perhaps they could both move on. Whistling softly, Zuko headed home, wanting his waterbender more than ever before.
oooOOOoooOOOooo
"Okay, asshole!" Katara shouted at the car blasting their horn behind her. She gunned it wanting to leave that intersection as quick as possible.
Tears welled up in her eyes. Katara did NOT just see what she saw. Did she? It was hard not to miss Zuko, that tall handsome man with that La-awful scar. And the woman, like Liang all grown up, had to have been Jin. They were standing by a car then the next thing she saw they were kissing. Her hands slid up his shoulders then he was holding her hands. Then they were hugging and her heart broke it was so intimate and loving. Her imagination knew exactly what was going on. Katara kicked herself for taking that wrong turn earlier that put her at that spot just then. Kicked herself for glancing over to her right at the red light. Kicked herself for being an idiot and falling for him. "Stupid bitch," she scolded herself. It was the honking of the asshole behind her that finally forced her to drive away. And she drove far, far away avoiding the inevitable heartbreak.
Her phone rang two weeks later. She was sitting in a hotel in the North Pole, cleaning her gun with a manic ferocity. "Where the hell are you?" Jet yelled through the headset.
"Excuse me?"
"Where are you? What's your problem? You've been avoiding all of us."
"I've been busy. Work's been crazy." It was true only because she made it crazy. She'd personally been involved in no less than ten "negotiations" with debtors and other slime. The poor guys never had a chance against a frustrated and heartbroken waterbender.
"So busy even Zuko doesn't know where the hell you are? He's been worried sick and frankly it's getting annoying."
"Yeah, well, he doesn't need to know where I'm at. Besides I'm sure he's real lonely without me." She rolled her eyes and scrubbed the gun even harder.
"Actually he is. He's being a big puss, all mopey and shit. I swear it's like he's on the rag or something. What did you do to him?"
"What I did? I didn't do anything. He's the one who was making out with Jin!" The silence hung over the phone. Katara half expected Jet to get pissed, defend her honor or something. How dare his best friend cheat on her (never mind his own history with doing the same)? Instead he laughed. Hard. "What the fuck are talking about?"
Explained that evening about how she saw Zuko and Jin together. "I mean she is the mother of his child. Who am I right? Of course he would go back to her."
"You're an idiot. He'd never- and I mean ne-ver- go back to her. You realize that right. He might be a glutton for torment but not even he'd go that far. She's just some journalist or some shit like that and interviewed him."
"But I saw them kiss." She tried to defend herself.
"Did you even talk to Zuko about it?" He knew as well as she did the answer to that and waited patiently for her mumbled "no". He just needed to hear her say it. Say that she messed up. Jumped to conclusions and ran away. She needed to say she was sorry and he knew full well that she hated saying "I'm sorry."
Katara nibbled on her finger, hating having to ask advice from the jerk who had screwed her over so many times but when push came to shove was one of her dear friends. "What do I do then?"
"Suck it up, cupcake, and apologize to the man. He misses you. And I know Liang does too. You wormed your way into their lives and it takes more than that to get out."
"Once in, always in," Katara offered.
"You should know, Miss Tribe girl. Now get your ass on a plane and get back here. I'm tired of hearing him bitch."
oooOOOoooOOOooo
The weather must have followed her foul mood because it was dumping buckets of rain. Her belly did flip flops the whole way to his house and she got drenched in the few meters between her car and his door. She couldn't see the lights on inside and thought maybe he'd gone to bed or maybe he wasn't even home. Just as she turned to leave, tail tucked between her legs, the heavy wood door opened. In the light from the hallway, he stood, arms crossed over his chest, chin jutted out defensively.
"I'm an idiot." She stared at the doormat unable to meet his angry gaze.
He sighed, folding his arms across his chest and leaning on the door jamb "I've been left behind once before and I didn't like it then and I sure as hell didn't like it now. It's been two weeks Katara. Two weeks of not knowing if something horrible happened to you because of what you do or if you were like everyone else too chicken shit to deal with my life."
"I'm so sorry"
"Why'd you leave? Why didn't you say something? I don't understand."
She gulped, trying to fight back the tears to no avail. Her mind's eye still played back that image. "I saw something-"
"Something?"
The words burst out without any rhyme or reason. "Yeah, I saw you and Jin kissing in the parking lot at some restaurant and I thought the worst and I'm an idiot." When he didn't say anything, he just blinked stunned that in that one little moment that their relationship could have ended, she continued, "I'm not used to this okay? I love you. So damn much. And Liang and it's been killing me not being able to be around you two. I never thought I wanted a family but being with you and her and I've honestly thought about what an awesome big sister she would be and… and I ruined it because I jumped to conclusions and never thought to ask you. I thought you went back to her. I thought that with her back in the picture why would you want me?"
She was cut off from her tirade by a pair of warm arms and even warmer lips. "How could I not want you?"
"Because I'm an idiot." She sniffled loudly, brushing away the tears from under her eyes with her fingertips, trying to not smear her mascara anymore than it already was.
Zuko grinned impishly. "So, you love me?" Katara bit her bottom lip and blushed, "Yeah, I think I do."
"Good. I'm pretty sure I love you too." He leaned down and kissed her again. She missed this so much. Zuko brushed back her damp hair from her cheek. "Now let's get you out of these wet clothes."
oooOOOoooOOOooo
Why yes this was a bit of filler? Thanks for asking.
2wingo- you rock my socks! For real. Thanks for the help.
To everyone else, thanks so much for all the reviews, favs, and watches. You make this little fanfic writer very, very happy.