Soundtrack: Ayeshteni – Natacha Atlas
Affliction
He is like a thorn in her side. A big, stupid, firebending thorn, and he is currently shirtless. Damn.
She averts her gaze, refusing to look at that expanse of bared, sinewy flesh. There should be a rule that states Fire Nation princes have to wear clothes at all times while on the Western Air Temple premises. It's indecent the way he struts about, looking all—all male with his toned arms and defined abdomen and—
Oh spirits. Why can't she stop staring at him?
Don't look, Katara! she scolds herself. Don't you dare look! He is evil. He betrayed you. He is—he is walking towards you.
Scrambling to her feet, and hoping that her blush isn't as vibrant as it feels, she raises her chin as she meets the firebender's gaze. "What do you want?"
Her tone is anything but welcoming, and the smile hinted in the curve of his lips quickly fades in response, becoming more of a grimace. Naturally, she isn't disappointed. She doesn't want to see his stupid smile anyway. Because it is not charming. Not at all.
"Aang and I were planning to collect some more food to go with tonight's dinner," Zuko says, rubbing the back of his neck. "There are a lot of fruit trees around here; I just thought I'd see if there was anything you wanted in particular. I, uh, noticed you don't like papaya."
The colour on her cheeks darkens. She folds her arms across her chest and tries to gain control of her unruly blood, irritated that he is making her feel so flustered. So what if he took the time to ask her what fruit she prefers because he noticed that she doesn't like papaya. She's sure anyone else would have done the same had they paid attention (but they didn't, her mind helpfully reminds her), and it doesn't change the way she feels about him. Because there is nothing sweet about his gesture. Not at all.
"I like mangos," she answers after a moment, if a little sourly.
If he is bothered by her tone, he doesn't show it. Instead his mouth does that almost-smile twitch again (not charming!), and his gaze locks with hers. She can't help but note that his eyes look very golden and warm in that moment, and somehow this bothers her as well.
"Great," he says in his raspy voice. "Then I'll bring you back some mangos."
Katara looks the other way, still with her arms folded. "Yeah, whatever."
Zuko hesitates, as if he wants to say something else, but then he just sighs and heads towards the fountain to collect Aang. She bites her lip as she watches his progress, conscious of the fluttery feeling in her stomach and the way her heart keeps pounding like a wild drum. There really should be a rule that states Fire Nation princes have to wear shirts at all times, and maybe one where almost-smiles are prohibited. In fact, there should just be a rule that he isn't allowed to be around her at all, because she is so tired of being afflicted with all of these confusing feelings.
He really is a thorn in her side. A big, stupid, firebending thorn, and she wishes that she could stop thinking about him. She wishes that she could stop feeling so attracted to Prince Zuko.