a/n: been a while. sorry this one is gross.


"Done yet?"

With his head between his knees, Zuko glanced over at the waterbender patting his back. His dinner and spoiled guts were all over the lovely rose bushes in the back of his old summer house. Her obviously triumphant hands continued to softly thump against his back, his queasy and paled face shaking at her slightly impatient question.

"Not quite."

Then he retched the remaining of his stomach on the pansies bush this time, while Katara rolled her eyes.

There was something comforting in the fact that Katara stood next to him while his dignity and pride (and everything that was necessary to be A Man) embarrassingly splashed near his shoes. She didn't even complain, just neatly scrunched up her face and turned the other way, hand on his back. Something in the back of his head, where all the colors and thoughts had become soggy and twisted around, made him realize that Azula, or Mai or Ty lee would ever do such a thing. He would have thanked her, if his voice and confidence hadn't sunk into his knees.

Instead, she thanked him.

"I really appreciate you trying to stick up for me—but please, I hope to all the merciful Spirits out there that you learned a valuable lesson."

Never, ever force Sokka, Toph and Aang to cook dinner instead of Katara.

Damn Agni, this is what he gets for trying to be nice. "Let me guess, you didn't actually eat any of it." Hands on his knees, he tilted his head so that his scarred eye was looking at her, relieved for the fact his blurry vision covered her disgusted face like a fog. "No. I'm not the insane one." And in his filthy, pathetic state, with his stained shirt and red against sickly pale cheeks, she grabbed him be the hand.

"Let's get you cleaned up, oh Prince Charming."

"Thanks—for—thank you for this—"

"Don't worry about it. I've deal with these kind of situations before."

"..really?"

"Yes. With five year olds in my village."

She smiled and didn't let go of his hand.