DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

CHAPTER 24: Bitter Work

Iroh frowns.

His nephew has been quite out of sorts since he came back from Ember Island a couple of weeks ago.

At first, he attributed it to Zuko's breakup, but Miss Jin often comes by the tea shop, and after a few rather awkward interactions, the two seem to have settled into a state of semi-friendship.

Then, Toph informs him, quite cryptically, that Zuko just "needs a little sweetness" in his life right now. Iroh questions his snarky little investor about the statement, but Toph just tells him that it was way more fun to let things unfold on their own— a philosophy that, unfortunately, Iroh doesn't quite share when it comes to Zuko.

So when Iroh finds him brooding over an over-boiled kettle of water well after closing time, he decides it is time to step in.

"Zuko," he calls, but his nephew barely acknowledges him. "I hate to interrupt your staring contest with the kettle, my boy, but we need to talk."

"Uh huh," the boy replies distractedly. Iroh purses his lips and folds his hands into his sleeves.

"I have decided to sell the tea shop to the cabbage merchant next door," he fibs, but Zuko doesn't even bat an eye.

"I now find coffee much better, for the health and for the soul," Iroh continues, narrowing his eyes at his nephew. Zuko just nods and continues to stare, unfocused, at the kettle.

"Zuko. I just spoke with the doctor," he laces his voice with pretend-grief. "She told me that I only have three months to live."

"What?"

Zuko springs away from the stove, eyes wide. Iroh chuckles.

"Well, Zuko, it's nice to know you still care about your dear old uncle," he comments flippantly, and Zuko glares at him. "You seem to have a lot on your mind, nephew."

"I— it's nothing," he replies, running a hand through his hair. Iroh shakes his head and sits him down at the table.

"What is the matter, Zuko?" He asks. "You have been very distracted lately. Don't think I haven't noticed."

"I told you it's nothing, uncle!" bursts out Zuko. Iroh looks at him flatly, and Zuko curls in on himself and averts his eyes.

"I just— I messed up something, and now I'm trying to fix it, okay?" He mutters sullenly.

"A noble endeavor, I am sure," comments Iroh, and Zuko blushes.

"It's stupid," he says, tracing patterns on the wooden tabletop. "I just— I need to make things right, and I have an idea on how to do it, but I don't actually know how to do it, or if I do, I'm not even sure if it's gonna work, but— but I have to try, because it's just— just— ugh! I don't want to talk about it, uncle!"

"Seems like you do," Iroh tells him slyly. "Come now, tell your uncle what happened. Just as an open door cleanses the room and brings a breath of fresh air, so do conversations offer new perspectives."

Zuko hesitates, his mouth working as he struggles to get the words out. Iroh waits patiently until it all tumbles out in a rush.

"I was so stupid! I told Katara about the Spirit Oasis project, and now she's mad at me because— because I disrespected her heritage and almost destroyed sacred grounds, but I only told her because I couldn't lie about it, especially after she told me how important her culture was to her, but— but she's still not talking to me and it's been weeks, uncle, and I just— it's just—"

Zuko grasps the sides of his head and slumps onto the table with a frustrated groan.

"It's just been really hard," he concludes, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. He doesn't catch the way Iroh's look of surprise transforms into a wily grin.

"Well," Iroh quickly schools his expression as Zuko looks at him desperately."You seem to hold Miss Katara's opinions in high regard, nephew."

Confusion furrows Zuko's brows.

"Of course I care what she thinks of me," he says, as though it is the most obvious thing in the world. Iroh fights back a smile once more.

"Any particular reason why?" Iroh teases.

"It's not like that, uncle!" Zuko huffs, but the tell-tale blush on his cheeks tells Iroh otherwise. His nephew wrings his hands before muttering, almost to himself, "I told her about— about my scar."

Now, that takes Iroh aback.

"You did?"

"I— I was touring her around Roku's, and we were supposed to meet Kiyi when we— we ran into Mai. You remember Mai?" Zuko asks, and Iroh nods at the memory of the quiet little girl who frequently hung around his niece. "Well, after— after that, Katara asked about her, and one thing led to another and before I knew it, I was telling her about Lu Ten and Father and how I got my scar and why I left the company. And she didn't— she just— she wasn't disgusted at all. She said I was brave," he mutters as an afterthought, flushing deep red as he does, "She said I wouldn't go through things alone, because that's what friends are for. I just can't let my mistakes screw up our friendship, uncle."

"Hmm," Iroh observes his nephew over steepled hands. "I agree with Miss Katara, Zuko. It took immeasurable courage to stand up to Ozai. Compared to that, I am sure winning back Miss Katara's trust is much easier."

Zuko smiles bitterly.

"You'll be surprised," he says, "Toph says she could cold-shoulder someone for years."

"Well then, let us make sure your plan will thaw her out," says Iroh cheerfully. "What did you have in mind, nephew?"

Zuko looks at him for a moment— probably deliberating whether letting his wily old uncle meddle in his life would be worth the trouble— until he finally relents.

"What do you know about Water Tribe cooking, uncle?"

"Hey! Sugar Queen!" Toph's voice is punctuated by loud banging on the door. "Open up!"

Katara sighs and tucks her pencil behind her ear, swiping away the packets of sour cream and onion chips from her coffee table to make room for her laptop. She stands up and unlocks the door, knowing that her friend would barge in as soon as she hears the lock turn.

And march in she does, followed closely by a smiling Ty Lee.

"We come bearing gifts," announces Toph, maneuvering her way to the kitchen while holding aloft what looks like a box of cakes. Katara furrows her brows in confusion.

"Uh, thanks, I guess?"

Ty Lee piles another box on top of Toph's and dusts off her hands triumphantly.

"Iroh sends these cakes along with his love," Toph tells Katara off-handedly, heading back into the living room and flopping down on the couch.

"Why…?" Katara begins, bewildered, but Ty Lee twirls after Toph and sits primly on the arm of her couch, and Katara belatedly feels embarrassed about the state of her apartment.

"You should've told me you were coming over. I— I haven't had the chance to… clean up," she explains abashedly, but Toph just snorts.

"No sweat off my ass, Sweetness," she says dismissively. "'S not like I could see it or anything."

"Yeah, we just came over to see how you were doing," Ty Lee adds brightly, casually picking up empty boxes of microwavable convenience store food and stacking them on the edge of the table.

Katara blushes and hurries forward to collect the boxes from her, before realizing that she hasn't taken the rest of the trash out yet. Much to her chagrin, Ty Lee continues to tidy up the room, seemingly oblivious to her embarrassment.

"Um, I've been— I've been doing okay," Katara says, snatching some crumpled papers off the floor and stuffing them into the pile of garbage that Ty Lee gathered.

"Liar," Toph chides. "Your place is only as messy as your life is. And I'm just now smelling how messy it really is."

"Well, it's been hard, okay!" Katara bursts out, stomping hard. The people in the apartment below hers bang through the floor angrily, and she yells back at them, "Yeah, I get it! Quit with the broom!"

"Wow," mutters Ty Lee. "Katara, you need to relax. Your aura is so murky."

"Oh, she's always like this when she's stressed, babe," Toph explains blithely, before tugging at Katara's arm and forcing her to sit with them on the couch. "Katara. Wanna tell us what's wrong so we could help?"

"I don't need help! I've got this!" She insists, running a hand through her matted, tangled hair. "Unless you can write two ten-page papers and take my midterms for me, there's nothing you can do to help! And I don't even need any help, because I'm fine!"

"Uh huh," says Toph boredly. "Keep telling yourself that while Ty Lee and I get this place cleaned up."

"You don't even know how to clean," replies Katara petulantly. Toph grins at her and stretches as she stands up.

"First time for everything, Sugar Queen. I accept thanks in cash or spa coupons."

Ty Lee leans over to give Katara a hug before following her girlfriend in cleaning up the place. Katara watches uncomfortably as Toph hefts three full garbage bags under her arms.

"You guys really don't have to do this," she tells them softly, swallowing against the lump in her throat. Ty Lee smiles brightly at her.

"Aw, Katara, we want to! Don't you worry. Besides, it's so much better to study when your place is organized and clean!"

"Th-thank you," Katara says, blinking back tears. Toph forces open the door and tilts her head back at her.

"Jeez, don't go all blubbery on me now, Sugar Queen. I liked it better when you were shouting at those guys downstairs."

Katara laughs weakly at that. Toph and Ty Lee shoulder their way through her door, their arms filled with junk she accumulated the past few weeks, and Katara allows herself to take a deep breath and reaches for her notebook and computer.

Her friends slowly work their way around her apartment, chattering quietly so as not to disturb her. Loathe as she is to admit it, but their presence does make studying less lonely. She hadn't realized how much she missed them until they showed up unexpectedly.

When they finish taking out the last of the trash, Ty Lee fixes her a plate of Iroh's tea cakes and a strong cup of coffee. Katara sighs and stretches out the kinks on her shoulders— it has been a long time since she ate anything other than pizza rolls, instant ramen, and microwavable dinners.

"There you go, your aura's looking so much better already!" Ty Lee comments, pushing the plate into her hands as soon as they are free of her laptop.

"You should've told us how bad it was, Katara," mutters Toph. "You haven't been this stressed since your dad took that third job back in your senior year."

Katara closes her eyes and takes a sip of coffee.

"Yeah, well, we were all saving up for my college fund, and with Sokka out of the house…"

"Yeah, I know, I know, your part-time gig couldn't even cover your bills," Toph nods and sits down beside her. Ty Lee follows suit on her other side and rubs soothing circles on her back.

"This isn't as bad as back then," Katara reassures them, although she's really not so sure. "I still really appreciate the help, you guys. You didn't have to do all of this, but—"

"Oh, but that's what people do for the ones they care about!" exclaims Ty Lee.

Katara smiles at them and pulls them into a big hug.

"I know, I know. Thank you." She says, then lets go with a gasp as Toph elbows her way out of the hug. "Ugh, Toph."

"Yeah, I love ya too, Sweetness. Shut up and eat your cake."

"I really gotta hand it to ya, dude," Sokka says, scratching at his undercut in awe. "I mean, ocean kumquats don't quite compare to sea prunes, and I'd add a tiny bit more salt to those seaweed noodles if I were you, but—"

"Oh, hush, Sokka, he's doing great!" Suki retorts, patting Zuko on the back as he stirs the stew bubbling over the stove in Suki and Sokka's apartment. Suki sits down at the kitchen table and sorts through the ingredients that are strewn about. "Besides, this is perfect. Katara's been worried that she won't be able to see Gran-Gran when she visits because she'll be away at Roku's for her finals. It's gonna be the taste of home she needs."

"Do you really think she'll like it?" asks Zuko, wiping sweat off his brow. "Uncle tried to help me get the most authentic ingredients, but—"

"Oh, believe me, I've eaten enough of Gran-Gran's stew to know that that's the closest you could get to Southern Water Tribe cuisine in the Earth Kingdom," Suki assures him.

"Well, it's got Suki's stamp of approval, buddy, and she's the best person to ask about these things," Sokka says, planting a kiss on his fiancée's forehead. "But hey, if you don't think it'll work, I'll be happy to take it off your hands… maybe lemme grab a bite…"

"Oh, stop it, you big glutton," laughs Suki as Zuko bats Sokka's hands away from the stew. Sokka pouts at the two of them and starts to retaliate when his phone rings.

"Oh, jeez, it's Katara!" He exclaims, bouncing from one foot to another. "Everybody shut up!"

"We're not saying any—" starts Zuko, but Sokka flaps his arms agitatedly at him.

"I said, shhh!" He whispers comically before taking the call and putting it on speakerphone. He speaks in a strained, high-pitched voice. "Heeey, sis! What's up? Wanna hang out somewhere far, far away from our apartment?"

Suki slaps a hand to her forehead as Katara replies in a befuddled tone.

"I wasn't calling to hang out at your apartment," she says. "I was just wondering— do you still have that football helmet-slash-beer holder you made in high school? D'you think it can hold coffee, too?"

"Oh, the Buzznator? Hell yes, I still have— no, no," Sokka shakes his head adamantly at Suki, who gasps indignantly and glares at him. "Uh, sorry, sis, that invention is long gone and I'm not keeping it somewhere secret at all."

"You know you're not fooling anyone, right?" Katara asks him, and he laughs nervously and takes her off speaker before slinking into the bedroom.

"Oh, I can't believe him," Suki huffs as the door closes behind Sokka. "He told me he'd gotten rid of those dangerous contraptions of his."

"Can't say I'm surprised," mutters Zuko, taking the stew off the heat. "He really prides himself in the stuff he makes, whether they're plans or inventions."

"Yeah, I know," agrees Suki, handing over a couple of lidded, microwavable bowls for Zuko to ladle stew in. "I'm just disappointed he lied to me."

"Well, I tried being honest, and look where it got me," replies Zuko regrettably. Suki grimaces at him in pity.

"Yeah, I guess it's kind of a lose-lose situation, huh?"

"Kinda," He snaps the lid back on the full bowl of seaweed noodles and fidgets with it thoughtfully for a few moments before speaking. "Do you really think she'll like this?"

"Zuko, you heard that conversation between her and Sokka, right?" Suki replies, not really waiting for an answer. "I love her to bits, but Katara has a tendency to forget how to take care of herself when she's busy. Sure, there's a fifty percent chance she'll just throw those kumquats and noodles away because you gave them to her, but we're banking on the fact that no one can resist Gran-Gran's stew recipe."

Zuko rubs the back of his head anxiously.

"Well, if you're sure…" he takes a deep breath. "Listen, I have another gift for her that I have to pick up—"

"Another gift?" Sokka pipes up as he emerges from the bedroom. "Wow, buddy-man, if we ever fight, I want this level of making up, too."

"What's the gift?" asks Suki.

"It's uh," Zuko shrugs uncomfortably and turns away. "It's a book."

"A book?" repeats Sokka incredulously. "How is that gonna help?"

Zuko tries to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks by collecting the dirty utensils on the counter.

"It's—" he coughs and nearly upends a bowl, "It's a rare book of Water Tribe folk stories. I made sure it had the ones that your mom read to you when you were kids."

He peers at the couple and doesn't miss them exchanging surprised looks.

"Wow, Zuko," Suki begins hesitantly, "That's so sweet."

"Yeah…" Sokka says slowly, watching Zuko with such close scrutiny that makes him squirm. A mischievous grin slowly appears on Sokka's face. "Hmm, it's a little too sweet, right, Suki?"

Suki breaks into an identical smile.

"Yeah, I agree, Sokka, it is too sweet," she says, throwing Zuko a sly look. "Hmm. I wonder why?"

"Oh, I have a theory," Sokka bounces back.

"Oh, what's your theory, Sokka?" Suki piles on.

"I think—"

"Alright, enough of this!" Zuko exclaims, banging down dirty dishes into the sink. He grabs the packed microwavable bowls he prepared and tucks them under his arm. "I'm out of here."

He could hear the two of them snickering behind his back as he starts to stalk out of their apartment, the heat in his cheeks spreading to his neck.

"Oh, Zuko, calm down, we're just messing around," calls Suki, and Zuko frowns at her over his shoulder. Sokka is still wearing a goofy smile on his face, but his fiancée seems to have her giggles under control. "C'mon, what do you need help with?"

"I need to go to this bookshop on the other side of town," Zuko finally relents, setting down the bowls back on the counter. "It's called Wan Shi Tong's Library, and I don't really know how to get there."

"Hey, I know that place!" Sokka says. "An old professor of mine works there."

"Professor Zei?" guesses Suki, and Sokka nods vigorously.

"Yeah, he's all about his rare book collection," Sokka looks at Zuko thoughtfully. "Never thought he'd give up one of his precious books, though."

Zuko scratches the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, that's, well—" he clears his throat, "I spoke to him online, and he's agreed to let me borrow the book for a while. I figured I could make a copy—"

"A book heist!" Sokka gasps, slamming his hands on the table. "Now that's what I call high-risk trading!"

"Is it?" mutters Suki, but her fiancé ignores her.

"So, what do you need, buddy? Do I distract Zei while you sneak in and get the book?"

Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"No," he says, "I just need directions to the place. That's all."

"Aw man," Sokka wilts in disappointment, but he motions Zuko to follow him out of the apartment nevertheless. "Okay, fine, no book heist. I can drive you there."

"Enjoy your trip!" calls Suki, before snagging Zuko by the scruff of his shirt and whispering urgently, "Do not let him buy anything. If I find out that he blew our wedding fund on some book about maps or something, I will hold you criminally responsible. Are we clear?"

Zuko gulps and nods wordlessly, before scurrying off after Sokka.

Knock, knock.

Katara briefly wonders if she misheard the soft knocks on the door as another one of her downstairs neighbors' complaints through the floor, but she's not making any noise this time, so that couldn't be it.

She checks through the peephole if she has any visitors— she has a feeling that Toph and Ty Lee wouldn't be the only ones dropping by now that they know how stressed Katara is— but she couldn't see anyone in her direct line of sight.

She decides to open the door and is faced with Zuko mid-crouch.

He looks up at her in surprise and immediately shoots up and takes a step back, his hand automatically going to the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, uh, hi— I thought— I thought you were asleep," he stammers. Katara narrows her eyes at him and crosses her arms over her chest.

"You look terrible," she says by way of greeting. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just— just dropping those off," he motions at her feet, and Katara just now realizes that there were lidded bowls and a thick sheaf of papers stacked on her welcome mat.

She pushes down the urge to kick them. Instead, she glares at Zuko challengingly.

"What are those supposed to be?"

"Just… Um. Toph said you weren't eating properly, and— and your brother and Suki were worried, so, uh—" Zuko flushes pink and shakes his head. He runs a hand down his face, and his next words come out in one breath. "I thought it would be comforting for you to have stuff that reminds you of home."

Her heart stutters at that, but she ignores it.

Katara keeps her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him as she bends down to take the stack. The top bowl wobbles under the weight of the sheaf of papers— what are those supposed to be, anyway?— but she balances it quickly and glares at Zuko when he tries to help her.

She tries to discern the contents of the bowls through the semi-opaque plastic.

"Is this supposed to be food?" She asks scathingly. "How do I know it's not poisoned?"

Zuko sighs exasperatedly.

"Because it would be pretty stupid of me to cook all of that for you only to have you die from it."

Katara almost drops the bowls in surprise.

You cooked all of this for me?

"Well, yeah," Zuko responds, shrugging nervously.

Katara chides herself mentally for speaking out loud again— she is just tired, she reasons; it's not like his thoughtfulness surprised her enough to forgive him, no, of course not. It doesn't make up for what he did.

She tucks the papers under her arm and tentatively opens the container in spite of herself, expecting a botched experiment of some sort, but inside were noodles in thick sauce, a couple of dumplings, and…

"Are those sea prunes?" She asks incredulously.

Zuko rubs the back of his neck self-consciously.

"Ocean kumquats. I told uncle you like sea prunes, but they were all we could find— I really wanted to make it as close to your grandmother's recipe as possible, but Sokka wasn't much help since all he wanted to do was eat all of it, but you said that no one could resist your Gran-Gran's stewed sea prunes, so I thought— Katara?"

Katara sniffles and hastily wipes at her eyes with the heel of her hand, but the tears kept coming.

"I'm sorry!" Zuko drops his hand and rushes forward. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong? Why are you crying?"

Katara shakes her head, still trying to stymie the flow of tears. Zuko watches helplessly as she collects herself— she takes a deep breath before replacing the lid on the bowl, and for a second Zuko's afraid she would return the gift, but—

"Thank you, Zuko."

He blinks at her in surprise.

"It's— it's no problem." He tells her sincerely. "I wanted to do it."

Tears smart at the corners of Katara's eyes again and she laughs at herself.

"I'm not used to— to people doing stuff for me," she confesses quietly, awkwardly wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Zuko wordlessly takes his gifts from her hands and tentatively, carefully, places a hand on her shoulder.

"You said— back on Ember Island, you told me that no one should go through tough times alone." Zuko tells her, and he's met with wide, watery blue eyes. He looks at her steadily. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Katara bites her lip and flings her arms around Zuko's neck. He stumbles backwards slightly and, after a few moments, she feels him wrap his unoccupied arm around her waist and bury his face in her hair.

Katata closes her eyes with a sigh of relief.

"I think I'm ready to forgive you," she tells him, and his hold on her tightens. She smiles against his shoulder. "That's what friends are for, right?"

She feels his rusty laugh rumble through his body.

"Yeah. We're friends." He pulls back ever so slightly and beams at her so happily that Katara couldn't help but grin right back.

"I can't believe you cooked a whole batch of Gran-Gran's stew," she mutters in disbelief. His eyes crinkle at the edges with uncharacteristic mischief.

"Actually, I, uh, got you something else, too," he says, stepping away from her. Katara looks at him in confusion as he holds up the sheaf of papers shyly. "Here. I'm sorry I couldn't bind it together; Sokka and I just copied it this afternoon."

"What—"

Katara takes one look at the first page and gapes at Zuko, speechless.

"It's a book of Southern Water Tribe folk tales," Zuko explains unnecessarily.

Katara thumbs, almost reverently, through the photocopied pages.

"It's all here," she murmurs, entranced. "All the stories Mom and Gran-Gran told us…"

"I figured— it would mean a lot to you, if you can share your tribe's stories to your— to your students," Zuko says hesitantly. "Do you like it?"

Katara stares at him in amazement and clutches the papers to her chest.

"Zuko, it's… how… why…"

She struggles to find the words, but none of them would come, and she could see the worry settling in on his brow, but he has to know— he has to know, this is the best, sweetest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever given her—

"So— I guess… that's all I came here for. I'm gonna take off." She catches the hint of disappointment in his voice and her heart falls when he fails to meet her eyes as he hands her the bowls of stew.

"Zuko, wait—" Katara tugs on his hand just as he turns to leave. Heart in her throat, she asks, "Do you… do you want to stay awhile?"

He looks at her with something like hope in his eyes, and Katara grips his hand tighter.

"I don't want to distract you from schoolwork…" he begins, but he takes a step closer to her anyway, and Katara's breath hitches at their sudden closeness.

"It's okay," she swallows and turns away from him to open her door, "I could use the distraction. I've been working on my paper for two days straight."

She leads him into her apartment, thanking her luck that her place wasn't in the sorry state that Ty Lee and Toph arrived in.

"So, uh…" she sets down the bowls of stew and the photocopied book on her coffee table and motions for him to sit. "Make yourself at home. Do you want water, or some cake…?"

"My uncle's?" he asks, and Katara raises her eyebrows at him.

"Yeah," she studies him for a moment. "Did you have him send those to me, too?"

"No, no," Zuko scratches his cheek. "He thought it would be a good backup plan in case you, uh… in case you threw my cooking away."

"Smart," comments Katara with a rueful smile.

"Anyway, water's fine. I serve those cakes everyday, I'm kinda sick of them," Zuko replies. His eyes land on the ridiculous invention she borrowed from Sokka earlier and picks it up with a smirk. "So this is the infamous Buzznator, huh?"

"He bragged about that to you?" Katara asks in disbelief, handing him a glass of water. He huffs in amusement, still studying the contraption.

"He put you on speakerphone when you called this morning," he explains, making Katara gasp in indignation. He holds up his hands appeasingly. "I was in their apartment cooking! If it makes you feel better, Suki got mad at him for lying about throwing away his 'dangerous contraptions.'"

"Oh, I know," Katara laughs and sits down on her couch beside him. "He told me how to get to his secret storage unit. There was a lot of crap in there. A lot of them could put someone's eye out."

"Makes sense," mutters Zuko, peering into the cups attached to the Buzznator. He looks up at Katara in horror. "Did you put energy drink and coffee in this?"

Katara folds her arms defensively.

"I needed the boost," she pouts. "It's not that big of a deal; I did it all the time back in college!"

Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Katara, you could die from that!"

"Not if you hydrate a lot!"

"Suki was right— you really forget to take care of yourself," Zuko says. Katara frowns at him.

"You know, I really don't appreciate you guys talking about me behind my back like that," she tells him. "I'm not a helpless little girl."

"No one said you were," says Zuko levelly, reaching for a bowl of stew before muttering to himself, "Although you are acting like one."

"I heard that, you jerk."

"Good to know your hearing is still good after all the caffeine you drank," shoots back Zuko dryly. He stands up and heads for the kitchen. "I'll heat this up so you can eat something substantial."

"You don't have to do that— I can do it perfectly well on my own," gripes Katara, following him. Zuko just raises an eyebrow at her and punches the buttons on her microwave pointedly. Katara glares at him for a few moments before sighing resignedly.

"You don't really have to do all this," she repeats softly.

"I know," he replies just as quietly. "But I also know more than anyone what stress does to a person, Katara. I don't want you to end up like my cousin."

A lump forms in her throat at the casual reminder of all the things he's shared with her.

"Thank you," she whispers, not trusting herself to speak any more than that.

"It's no problem," he smiles wanly at her and leans against the counter.

She settles in beside him and they both watch the bowl rotate in the microwave in relatively comfortable silence. Katara chances a glance at him only to see that he is looking around in idle interest— it feels oddly intimate to Katara, even though he has been to her apartment before; and to think that just hours ago she thought she would never have him back in her life—

"I didn't notice that before," he says suddenly, pointing at her refrigerator. Katara follows his line of sight and smiles when she sees what he's looking at.

"It's the pictures my kids drew for me," she explains as he moves closer to examine them. "I change them up every couple of weeks— there's a lot of them."

"Your kids must really like you," he tells her without a hint of irony, and Katara watches, transfixed, as his face transforms into that soft look that he only wears around Kiyi. She bites back a giggle— for all his insistence that he doesn't like kids, he seems to have such a soft spot for them— and joins him in front of the fridge.

"Is that supposed to be you?" he asks, pointing at one of the scrawled figures. "Why are there loops in your head?"

"Oh, Korra drew that," laughs Katara fondly, hovering closer to peer at the drawing. "She's one of the smartest kids in my class— she's actually about to accelerate to second grade— and when she found out I was also Southern Water Tribe, she drew me wearing her grandma's hairstyle."

"You have Southern Water Tribe students?" he asks curiously, and Katara is reminded of how stupidly stubborn she had been— he takes so much interest in her culture and understands why she is so proud of it; how could he be the unfeeling jerk she painted in her mind?

She shakes her head and traces the heavy crayon marks on the paper.

"Just one," Katara answers him. "I know I shouldn't play favorites, but I'm really gonna miss Korra when she moves up. Plus, I've grown attached to her dog, Naga."

"She brings her dog to school?" asks Zuko.

"Oh, it tails her all the way from their house and waits in the playground 'til her mom picks them both up," she grins at his dumbfounded expression. "The preschool I work for is a bit progressive; they believe in integrating nature into learning. But I really just like having Korra's dog around because it keeps my more hyperactive kids occupied during recess."

"No wonder you're so tired," comments Zuko wryly.

"Oh, don't worry; naptime isn't just for the kids," Katara says laughingly just as the microwave dings. She shares a look with Zuko and tilts her head. "Hey, wanna split that meal with me?"

His lips curl into a hesitant smile as he takes the bowl out.

"Will I disrespect your heritage if I ignore the kumquats and go straight for the seaweed noodles?"

"You know what? I'll allow it," Katara laughs and sets the table for them. "You're lucky I missed Gran-Gran's stew so much."

"Yeah," Zuko catches her eye and smiles so softly at her that it warms her all over. "Can't believe my luck."

A/N: I know I just updated this six days ago, but I just couldn't stop writing! This is the quickest update ever lol. I'm so glad to be over this hurdle— I can now put more heat in this slow burn! Anyway, please tell me what you guys think of this chapter! Cheers and happy holidays!