disclaimer: disclaimed.
dedication: wweh
notes: wweh

chapter title: clouds across the moon
summary: Zuko, Katara, and life after the war. — Zuko/Katara, others.

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Airbenders.

It was a strange thought, thick and wet in the way of a hacking cough, clinging to the lining of the her throat and sucking every time she breathed. Aang was quiet—asleep, probably, the emotion wrung him into exhaustion—curled up next to Toph on her bed.

The two young benders weren't touching, but there was something familiar about the way they'd positioned themselves; Katara couldn't quite put her on what it was, though.

She hadn't said anything about it, but really it was the only explanation.

The air felt wrong, he'd said, shaking in her arms.

Katara sighed, and leaned a little more heavily against the pillows. The tea was almost ready, and Mai sat next to her, eyes killer-cold like a ravenhawk's and just as empty.

Airbenders.

They should have expected something like this, probably. Even genocides had survivors, and people who didn't have a permanent home were far more likely to hide from the death.

The fact that the Fire Nation royalty had thought they'd eradicate an entire people simply told Katara that they were secure in their own superiority, and had a wonderful stupidity to match.

No surprised there, she thought, acid dripping just past her lips.

Zuko was a different story, of course—but he had the old ways in him, the respect for the world and its elements that his predecessors had forgotten.

The Fire Nation would flourish under his leadership.

(And maybe she would have a smile for him. For Zuko, she would. For Zuko, she did.)

The tea was dark and fragrant, thick like blood and just about the same colour. Katara didn't know which herbs Uncle had blended to create this particular brew—it was bitter but fruity, and smelled like summertime—but it was pleasant, a contrast to the sticky-sweet sugar dates and the salty cream cheese that they'd been nibbling on all afternoon.

"Airbenders," she said finally. "How did we miss that?"

Mai's hands were white-knuckled in her lap. "I've known Ty Lee my entire life, and I never knew."

"I didn't think Ty Lee knew how to keep secrets," Katara said, blowing gently on her tea. The ripples were slow intense things, swirls of crimson against white porcelain. She thought of blood against snow, and drank deeply.

"I didn't, either," Mai confessed quietly, the pull-down of her lips twisting something sharp in Katara's chest. They leaned against each other for a moment—neither said a word, both of their minds on Ty Lee's clear grey eyes.

"Do you think all Airbenders have grey eyes?" Katara asked. "Aang does."

"None of Ty Lee's sisters do," Mai said.

"Maybe they aren't Airbenders," was Katara's reply.

Mai's head jerked up sharply, her eyes intent on Katara's face.

"The circus," she breathed, as though this made any sense. "Ty Lee ran away to join a circus."

Katara tipped her head. "So?"

"Airbenders. A circus," Mai said flatly.

"Spirits. No one would question that, would they?"

Mai made a tiny sound at the back of her throat.

"You should talk to her," Katara nudged her with her elbow.

"You should talk to Aang."

"I'm not in love with Aang," Katara retorted.

"But you are in love with Zuko," Mai said.

The quiet certainty in her voice was enough to still the playful-vicious words that were welling beneath Katara's tongue. Her hands dropped into her lap, and she folded them there, breathing slow and deep.

There was no denying it anymore.

"Yeah," Katara said quietly. "I am. I really, really am."

And for the first time in a long time, Mai looked at her, and she smiled.

Toph stared around at the old men around the tables.

"Wow," she said, baffled. "You guys are old. Sparky, d'you really take advice from these dirtbags? Man, it's no wonder Uncle defected, these dudes are boring, I bet they still think we're at war."

Zuko had to turn away to avoid having to stuff his fist in his mouth to stop the laughter. Toph could afford to offend whoever she wanted—including and especially his advisors—but he didn't have that luxury. He had to be diplomatic.

But at least he didn't have to chastise Toph.

That just wouldn't go over well for anyone.

(The whole princess thing was really working out for her, if only because Bumi didn't give a heretical glob of spit about politics. Spirits, she was a terror. She held court wherever she felt like it, absolutely content to be kind to the servants and to order every royal in the palace around. Toph had it out for the placid Fire Nation court, and Zuko couldn't even blame her.)

"Gentlemen," Toph said, grinning at them, and he had a sudden, intense moment of déjà vu—she sounded like Katara had, months ago, before his council had learned to respect the Waterbending Master's input in their policies. This could only be terrible. Zuko absolutely did not cower.

"So is this wedding gonna be a thing? 'Cause 'parrently, you're all tryna marry Sparky here off! To me! Damn, I can't even believe it. Not like Sparky's got a girlfriend or anything, nope, none of that. No problemo. Sparky—" and here she paused, looked at him, and winked with both her eyes, too wonky to be quite a blink, "—you're gonna have to come to Omashu, I can't really rule from here, it's super far away. What d'ya think? Is that gonna work?"

All of Zuko's council sat in speechless horror.

Well, he thought, there goes that wedding. If they can't stand her now, when she has no power, they'd never last if she did.

Spirits, Toph was going to get them all killed. But at least it'd be an interesting thing, a fast quick burn to snuff the life out, fireworks in the sky before the world went dark. Weddings and children and the future—they were all up in the air, once things that had only been possibilities slowly settling down onto his shoulders like leaden weights to sink him beneath the waves.

But the only Waterbender he knew would never drown him if she could help it—they'd been through so much. Too much.

(Some things never went away.)

Zuko thought of Katara and her big heart and her smart mouth, and knew that there was never going to be anyone else.

He'd known it always, maybe, since he'd first taken her necklace and tied her to a tree.

(He still hadn't apologized for that, he realized absently. He was going to have to deal with that sometime soon.)

"Excuse me," he said. "I need to go find Lady Katara."

"See? Sparky knows what's up—!"

Zuko left Toph to batter his council into submission. There was nothing else for it.

He needed to see her.

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tbc.

notes2: damn, sorry it's been a while! life's caught me up. anyway, come say hi?