Beauty and the Beast

Disclaimer: Disney owns Beauty and the Beast, and Nickelodeon owns A:tLA. I own a nice pen

"Oh Zuko," Katara sang as she sashayed into her husband's office.

The Fire Lord looked up from the letter he was writing. "I know that look. You're after something."

Katara gasped dramatically, and placed her hand on her chest. "Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Alright, you caught me," she mock huffed, making her way over to his desk, and sitting on the edge of it. "So I was just coming back from visiting the hospital, when I saw this," she unfurled the scroll she was holding. "It looks like there's a new play on in the city, and I think we should go see it."

"It's not the Ember Island Players performing it, is it?"

"Mercifully not. It's a troupe from the Earth Kingdom. Apparently it's adapted from a children's tale, also from the Earth Kingdom. It's called Beauty and the Beast."

"Sounds interesting, what's it about?"

"An arrogant young prince and his castle's servants fall under the spell of a wicked spirit, who turns him into the hideous Beast until he learns to love, and be loved in return. The spirited, headstrong village girl, Ji, enters the Beast's castle after he imprisons her father. With the help of his enchanted servants, Ji begins to draw the cold-hearted Beast out of his isolation. We can take the kids."

"Why not? We haven't had a nice family evening out for ages. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Kaida, sit down. Suika, stop throwing fire gummies at your brother. Isao, can you hold Kya for a moment? Yes, now! Sokka! Stop stealing everyone's fireflakes!"

"Katara, I'm hungry!"

"Then get your own! You insisted on tagging along!"

"This is gonna be a long evening…"

"Tui and La Katara, look at him! He's like, the epitome of the manly man!"

"…Uncle, I think he's the bad guy."

"Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest! Man, these songs are catchy!"

"There's too much singing! Why do they feel the need to incorporate all these songs?!"

"Well done Sokka, you woke Fire Lord Grouchy."

"Oh ew, it's getting romantic. Mum you didn't say there'd be romance…oh my Agni! Mum! Dad!"

"Oh gross you two! We're in public!"

"My eyes! My eyes!"

"I swear to Tui and La, I am not above sending you all to the naughty step! That includes you, Sokka!"

"Uncle…are you…crying?"

"Who me?! Of course not! Manly men like me don't cry!"

"You're totally crying, Sokka."

"Shut up jerkbender!"

"That was a good play, I thought. What about you, kids?"

"The story was good. Could've given the romance a miss though…"

"Both on, and off the stage…Katara? Why are you glaring at me? No, no, nononono put the water whip down! Put the – Zuko! Help me! My sister is going to murder me!"

"That's rough, buddy."

"Y'know, the character of Ji kinda reminded me of you," Zuko said to Katara, when they were lying in bed later that night.

"Oh?"

"Well, she ignored how the villagers expected her to stay at home, and marry someone, probably what's-his-face, Ào, and instead focused on her earthbending. Kinda like how a certain waterbender I know refused to accept the Northern Water Tribe's attitudes towards women bending, and literally fought for that right. Of course, Ji is also very beautiful, also like a certain waterbender I know."

Katara blushed. "Dork. Actually, while we're on this topic, the story reminded me in a way, of our own love story."

"Do go on."

"Well, first of all you were prickly and moody, like the Beast…"

"Hey!"

"Don't you even try to deny it, Sparky. For ages, we thought that you only knew how to scowl. Also, like how the Beast initially imprisons Ji…"

"Oh for Agni's sake, how many times do I have to apologise for tying you to a tree?!"

"Many times until I'm satisfied," Katara smirked. "Anyway, you weren't exactly my favourite person at first. But, as we spent more time in each other's company without, y'know, fighting and stuff, and got to know each other better, like Ji and the Beast did, 'love blossomed like jasmine flowers, and the taste is just as sweet'."

"You got that phrase from Uncle."

"Shut up Sparky, I thought it was romantic. But anyway, you see my point?"

"Yeah, yeah, I see what you mean," Zuko pouted, although his lips twitched slightly when Katara brushed her lips against his. "At least there was no singing involved with us."

"Tale as old as time…"

"I love you, but please stop."