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

CHAPTER 28: Fittings

Zuko has just stepped out of the shower when there is a knock on the door of his apartment.

He sighs and wraps a towel around his middle— Toph has the annoying habit of forgetting her keys, but he supposes he shouldn't blame a blind girl for forgetting that keys existed.

"Just a sec!" He calls out as the knocks get persistent. He slings another towel over his shoulders and dries his hair with it as he makes his way across the living room and unlocks the door irritably.

"Toph, I told you, if you just kept your keys in one place—"

"Oh!"

Zuko nearly stumbles backwards as he's met with Katara's wide-eyed stare.

They both blink at each other for a few stunned moments before they both become aware of Zuko's state of undress and blush beet red.

"Sorry! I thought you were Toph!" They exclaim at the same time, and Zuko hurriedly retreats farther back into the living room— and almost falls into the balcony— as Katara remains rooted on the spot, still blushing and covering her face.

"S-so Toph's not around?" She asks in a high, squeaky voice, not looking at him. Zuko shakes his head frantically before realizing that she couldn't see him.

"No— she, Ty Lee— out. Anniversary," he says with little to no coherence.

"Oh," Katara groans into her hands and mutters to herself, "Dammit."

"What's—" Zuko clears his sandpaper-dry throat. "What's, uh— up?"

"I just—" she lowers her hands from her face only to wring them nervously. "I needed to… drink and vent, I guess."

"Y-you can— you can do that with me, too," offers Zuko, his heart hammering in his chest— what if she rejects me again?

It shouldn't matter, he argues silently. You should be there for her, like she did for you.

"If— if it's alright..." she starts to say, but then her gaze slowly runs down his naked torso and Zuko feels heat pool in his stomach as she bites her lip and tugs on her hair; he knows he shouldn't feel gratified by the way her cheeks redden, but he does, and his heart beats double-time when she meets his eyes again.

The entire span of the living room is between them, but the air has never been thicker.

Katara clears her throat.

"Wanna put some clothes on first?" She laughs shakily, and Zuko doesn't know what possesses him, but it makes him bold enough to raise an eyebrow at her and lean awkwardly on the cold balcony door.

"What, you don't like what you see?" He asks, smirking when she blushes again and crosses her arms.

"I didn't ask for a show, but hey, it's the middle of winter and if you wanna freeze to death, that's fine by me," she says haughtily, and somewhere in the back of Zuko's head, he cheers because she didn't technically tell him that she found him unattractive, and maybe, just maybe, there is hope for him after all.

So he waves her in and gets dressed in his room in record time, and when he comes out he finds her sitting on a kitchen stool with two bottles of cold beer from their fridge already on the counter.

He opens one of them for her, unasked, and tries not to let his hand shake when their fingers brush against each other when he passes her the bottle. He sits down on the stool beside her and pops open his beer.

"You said you… wanted to vent," he begins. Katara groans and takes a sip of her beer.

"It's just— Aang," she says, as though it explains everything, and Zuko's heart falls again at the mention of her ex.

Welcome to the friendzone, Sparky, Toph's voice cackles in his head.

"I'm not sure he understands why we broke up," Katara continues, oblivious to his dejection. She scratches at her beer label agitatedly. "I told him about grad school, and while I am glad that he thinks I'd do great, it just kinda… sucks, I guess."

"It sucks because… you have an ex who is still your friend and believes in your abilities?" asks Zuko, brows furrowing. Katara sighs and plants a hand on her forehead.

"I know it sounds stupid—"

"You don't say."

She glares at him from the corner of her eye before taking another swig from her bottle, resembling her brother so much that Zuko has to hide his amusement behind his bottle.

"What I mean is— ugh!" She throws her hands up in frustration. "This would be so much better with Toph!"

"Luckily, the guy you settled for can't hear you," Zuko mutters sarcastically.

Katara blows her hair out of her face.

"No, that's not what I meant, Zuko," she says apologetically. "It's just— Toph understands this because of how her parents treated her before she… ran away. I'm not sure if… I'm not sure if you'll get it. I'm sorry."

Zuko studies her for a moment as he takes a sip from his bottle. She turns away and drinks her beer.

"Okay," he says, coming to a conclusion. Katara looks at him with her eyebrows raised in question. He takes a deep breath and shrugs self-consciously. "Okay. I might not understand what the problem is, but— you said you wanted to vent. So— um, even if I won't get it, just… just vent."

Her face breaks into a soft, sparkling smile and the weight on Zuko's chest lightens.

"Thanks, Zuko," she says, covering his hand with hers. Zuko just nods, not trusting his voice. Katara sighs and tucks her hair behind her ear. "Okay. Here goes, I guess.

"One of the main reasons I broke up with Aang— and there were plenty— was because he always put me on a pedestal."

She smiles wanly.

"I admit, when I was younger, I kinda liked the attention, but I was just a kid back then, and the longer we stayed together, the more I realized it wasn't healthy— it's like he only saw the good side of me, like I could do no wrong, and that's just— that's just asking too much of me. I have to fail sometimes, I have to have doubts about myself, I have to have flaws and I do have flaws and I want to have them because I want to work on being better! I can't just stay the same way my whole life, like he expected me to! I was growing up, and I thought he would grow up with me, but he still acted pretty much how he did back in high school, and it just wasn't right. Our arguments never got resolved because he wouldn't call me out on my issues and he acts as though ignoring them would just make them go away! Then the problems would come up again and he'd avoid talking about them again and nothing ever gets fixed!"

Zuko stares at her in sudden realization.

Was that why she was so insistent on talking about my problems earlier? Was that why she kept asking if it was her fault?

He holds his tongue, though, because this is about her and not about what happened between them earlier.

Katara takes a long gulp from her bottle and continues harriedly.

"Now he's back all of a sudden and it shouldn't piss me off, but it does, and when I told him about grad school, I realized he mustn't have learned anything from our breakup because he still thinks I won't encounter any problems along the way and that I'd still do everything perfectly! It feels like he's invalidating all my efforts and all the hard work I put into studying!"

She presses her fingers to her temple with a huff.

"I know it sounds weird, but I take pride in working hard— it's how my family survived all those years after Mom died; it's how I survived in Northern when every professor was against me. But Aang— yes, well, he had a hard life, but things just come easy for him. He makes friends wherever he goes, he gets promoted easily at every job he has, he was even favored by professors back in college. So when he tells me I'd do well in whatever it is I'm doing, I feel like he doesn't quite grasp the effort I put in.

"I guess being around him again dug up those feelings of resentment— it's not like he was unpleasant when we talked earlier, and he didn't try to get back together with me, which was a relief—"

Zuko's hand tightens around his beer bottle in surprise.

They're not getting back together.

"—but I'm still pretty annoyed that he just assumed grad school was all fun and games, because it would be like that for him if he ever decides to go back to school. We never even got to talk about it, too, because he just automatically thought that I'm doing well, and that was another problem when we were together— he kept assuming that I was okay, that I was happy just because he was happy.

"Don't get me wrong; I greatly admire Aang's optimism, and he's gotten all of us through tough times because he just refused to let anything dampen his spirits. But sometimes it just gets too much, you know?"

She shrugs, a careless, casual gesture, but Zuko could see the slump in her shoulders and the wrinkle in her brow.

"I guess I just got reminded of how we acted back when we were together," she murmurs, tracing the pool of condensation on the countertop with her finger. "I thought I'd made myself clear when I broke up with him, but maybe I was still too afraid to hurt him too much that I didn't discuss things more openly with him."

She laughs bitterly.

"Maybe that's why he kept trying to get back together with me before," she mulls. "And I didn't have the heart to reject him outright, so I just avoided him until he took the hint."

Katara sighs and finishes her beer in silence, then leans her head on Zuko's shoulder.

Zuko freezes at the contact. His heart hammers so wildly in his chest that he nearly doesn't hear Katara's next words.

"Thank you, Zuko," she murmurs. Zuko peeks at her and finds that she has closed her eyes. Her lashes flutter slightly against her cheeks as she smiles, and warmth blooms in his chest and he instinctively, tentatively, wraps an arm around her shoulders and tucks her closer to him.

"I didn't do anything," he replies just as quietly, as if the relative silence in the apartment was a bubble that could pop at any sudden movement.

"You let me vent," Katara says simply, her head still resting comfortably in the crook of his neck. "I'm glad Toph wasn't home."

Zuko swallows and hopes she couldn't hear his heart somersaulting in his rib cage.

"Really?"

She nods, her hair tickling his chin.

"Really. She gets what I went through, sure, but she wouldn't have let me ramble on for as long as you did," she chuckles. "She'll probably offer up a piece of unusually wise Toph advice then shout, 'Less talking, more drinking, Sugar Queen!' or something."

"Yeah, she would," Zuko agrees with an amused huff. "She told me pretty much the same thing when she was trying to cheer me up."

"Why was she trying to cheer you up?" Katara asks, turning her head to look up at him with a look of concern. "Was that really about Jin? Because if it wasn't, you know you can still talk to me about it, right?"

Zuko's face heats up at her words and at their proximity. She hasn't moved away from him, and she is so close that he could see the different flecks of blue in her eyes, could count the tiny freckles that dotted her cheeks, could feel her breath fanning across his skin.

Part of him wants to run away from this kind of closeness, but a bigger part of him— the part that told her about how he got his scar, the part that read the entire book of Water Tribe folktales before returning it, the part that reveled in her— wants to cling to this warmth for as long as he could.

"No, it wasn't because of Jin," he finally admits, mustering the courage to tell her even as he drowns in her eyes, "It was because… I thought I'd ruined everything between us."

Her eyes widen and she pulls back— Zuko removes his arm from her shoulders, sure that she would recoil from him again, or berate him for all the mistakes he made—

He slides off his stool before she could do any of those things, but she catches his hand and tugs him back to face her.

"Zuko, I—" her hand tightens around his and he could feel his pulse thundering throughout his body as he waits for her next words. "Zuko, please look at me."

He does, even though looking at her means feeling so utterly vulnerable, even though it means laying himself bare in front of her.

Because that's what makes the difference— because it's her.

And she's looking at him with that soft smile that makes his stomach flutter and his knees go weak, and he wants nothing more than to bask in the light of that smile.

"Zuko… I want you to know— I am so, so glad that we're friends again," her smile slips and she worries her lip, glancing at their clasped hands. "And, for the record… you didn't ruin anything at all. I was stubborn— I wouldn't listen to you or to anyone, and I'm sorry for putting you through that. I was so needlessly horrible to you and you just put up with it and you still did so much for me— I am so sorry."

"I kinda deserved it," mutters Zuko, but Katara shakes her head adamantly, grasping his hand in both of hers.

"No, you didn't," she says firmly. "I poured all my anger at First Sozin on you. It was unfair. And I chose to ignore everything you told me before— you trusted me enough to— to tell me about your past, and I just threw it all back in your face. I don't know how I could even make up for that."

"You don't have to," he assures her. "It's not like I wasn't a jerk to you before."

"That was a really long time ago," insists Katara. "Just tell me you forgive me and we can move on."

"It's not really necessary—"

"C'mon, I told you I forgave you—"

"And I'm telling you, it's not a problem—"

"Well, it's gonna be a problem if you won't hold me accountable for my actions!"

"Okay, fine! I forgive you!"

"Thank you!"

A pause, then—

"I really am sorry," says Katara quietly. Zuko steps closer and squeezes her hand.

"Well… You're trying to be better, right?" He asks with a small smile, remembering her rant about having flaws.

"We're both trying to be better," she smiles back at him— a small, knowing sort of smile that makes him feel like he is part of something that only the two of them are in on.

And maybe he is; he doesn't know for sure, but after her apology, after all they've been through, he wants to know— needs to know—

"Katara," he starts without knowing how his sentence will end, but he has to get it out of his mouth because— because—

"I— I think I'm in love with you."

That was not what he intended to say, but as his words ring out and echo in the small space between them, Zuko realizes just how true they are.

He's not taking them back.

He straightens his shoulders and lifts his chin, holds her hand tight and locks his gaze with hers.

Her lips part with a small "oh" of surprise, and Zuko's heart stutters in his chest; the small voice in the back of his head starts to reprimand him for making her uncomfortable and putting her on the spot like this— what kind of person just blurts out his feelings like that—

He squeezes her hand and lets go, turning away so she wouldn't see his face.

He feels her shift behind him, feels the heat of her body before she wraps her arms around his middle, feels as though his heart is breaking and bursting at the same time. He places his trembling hands over hers and bows his head.

"Zuko… thank you for telling me that," she says, her voice muffled by the back of his shirt. "I— I'm not telling you no, or yes, or anything, but— I just— I don't really know how I feel. Not yet. I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Zuko manages to reply, the words sticking to the back of his throat. "I wasn't really expecting an answer."

"Still… I'll tell you as soon as I have one," Katara laughs lightly, and he feels it rumble from his back and throughout his whole body. He relaxes into her warmth and doesn't resist when Katara turns him around gently.

She appraises him with a weak grin.

"I gotta say, though," she says, a hint of teasing crinkling her eyes, "A lot of things are making sense now."

"What things?" asks Zuko, frowning slightly and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh, like Iroh's meddling," she replies wryly, and Zuko groans and covers his face with his palm. He feels her slender fingers wrap around his wrist, and she chuckles and pulls his hand away from his face. "Oh, c'mon, I told you, I find it sweet that he's playing matchmaker. I never would've guessed that it was because you had— well, feelings for me. I just thought he took a liking to me— and honestly, it was too much pressure."

"Too much pressure?" repeats Zuko in confusion. Katara nods and hugs her arms close to her body, turning slightly away from him, her tone somewhat more somber now.

"Like, what if we date and he's expecting a wedding and little grandnieces and grandnephews, and then we break up?" Her voice cracks a little, and she half-whispers her next words. "I wouldn't just be breaking your heart, I'd be breaking his, too. I don't know if I could stomach that."

She swallows audibly, and he wonders if he could stomach losing all of their friends, too, if they broke up.

Maybe this isn't a good idea.

Katara whirls on him in surprise, and Zuko exhales sharply when he realizes he talked to himself out loud. But since it is out in the open…

"Look, I meant it when I said I'm not expecting an answer," he tells her, holding her gaze for a moment too long. "I also meant what I said at cake tasting— you don't have to solve my problems for me. I can sort this one out myself."

Katara pauses at that, then frowns at him and plants her hands on her hips.

"Are you serious right now? What kind of idea is that?" She asks incredulously. "Zuko, being in love with someone isn't a problem that you have to sort out!"

"You just pointed out a big problem!" He retorts. "Who do you think Sokka and Toph would choose—" He cuts himself off abruptly, surprised at how hurt he feels at the thought of losing those two. He covers his mouth with his hand and hopes Katara doesn't see his distress.

She does, though. She always does.

"Zuko, you know they wouldn't cut you out of their lives if that happens, right?" She tells him softly. She huffs amusedly and rolls her eyes. "Hell, they'll probably take your side, too, if I'm being as stubborn as I was before."

Zuko smiles thinly at that.

"Oh, no, I can't have them doing that again. Drinking with Toph depleted my bank account and everything your brother suggested was stalker-y."

"Really?" asks Katara, intrigued. "Like what?"

Zuko coughs in embarrassment.

"Like— like dropping by your yoga class," he mumbles. Katara claps her hands to her mouth and giggles.

"Oh noooo. That would look so wrong! And we can't even talk in yoga class!" She shakes her head with a laugh, but she stops suddenly. She looks at Zuko with wide eyes. "Sokka— does he know about…?"

"To some extent, yeah," Zuko scratches his cheek sheepishly. "And— and Suki, too. And Toph, of course."

"They all knew and they didn't tell me?" Katara exclaims, throwing her hands up. She glances back at Zuko and grimaces. "Sorry— it's just… my own brother meddles as much as your uncle does. I hope he didn't make you feel uncomfortable."

"He kinda did," admits Zuko, shrugging, "But it was okay. I got to spend time with you. And I— I really like spending time with you."

All the air comes rushing out of Katara's lungs and her heart tumbles in her chest. She swallows against the lump in her throat.

Who knew that something as simple as that could elicit the same response she had when he told her he loves her?

"I—" she finds herself sitting down on one of the stools again, her fingers closed over her mother's necklace. She laughs tiredly and wipes at the corners of her eyes with her fingers. "I can't believe I ever thought of you as a jerk."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asks Zuko, confused, but Katara just smiles at him and jumps off the stool.

"It's nothing," she says, gathering her things from the counter.

She glances back at Zuko and, on impulse, stretches up on her tiptoes and kisses him on his left cheek. She feels his heart pound where her hands are splayed over his chest— or are those her own heartbeats? She doesn't know— but when she meets his eyes there's that electric thing between them again, and Katara finds herself imagining the what-if's and the could-be's…

But no, it's too much, too soon, and she has to be sure this isn't just a physical thing, because otherwise— otherwise she'd have to break someone's heart again, and she doesn't know why it's so important to her that this heart remains intact.

So she pulls away and clears her throat.

"I better go. It's really late, and I have school tomorrow," she says, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and she sees Zuko nod in her peripheral vision.

He walks her to the door and lightly, almost absently, places his hand on the small of her back, and later, in the silence and solitude of her room, Katara wonders if the shivers in her spine could lead to something more.

"You better not make me wear heels, Fan Girl," hisses Toph as the seamstress sticks pins into her bridesmaid's dress. Suki laughs over her flute of champagne.

"We'll be standing on sand, Toph," she reminds her. "I'm not that cruel. You can all go barefoot for all I care."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Toph holds her hand out for a high five, jostling the seamstress's work. Suki rolls her eyes as she pushes off the pouf she was lounging on and claps Toph's palm. "This is already shaping up to be the best party ever!"

"It's a wedding, not a party, Toph, and that means you have to be sober for at least the first half," reproaches Katara, smoothing down the hem of the cropped top of her dress— Suki had opted for a less formal style to contrast her mother's vintage wedding dress, and Katara ponders her reflection in the mirror while sipping her champagne. "Suki, are you sure we won't freeze to death in these? Spring in Kyoshi is still pretty cold."

"You can just find a plus one there who could warm you up," teases Jia, one of Suki's friends from college, and Katara almost sloshes her drink on her clothes at her suggestion.

Toph laughs and cocks her head in Jia's direction.

"Barking up the wrong tree there, Giggles," she says. "Sweetness wouldn't bring some rando she just met to a wedding— she doesn't date casually."

"Aw, why not?" asks Jia, peering curiously at Katara. "It's real fun and you don't have to talk too much to get warm, if you know what I mean."

Toph snorts.

"Or you could just cuddle in the sand like you did with Sparky on Ember Island," she says blithely, and this time Katara chokes on her champagne.

Ty Lee giggles from the loveseat she's sharing with Jia.

"Aw, that must have been so cute!" she sighs dreamily, oblivious of Katara's burning face. "Sometimes I still can't believe you and Zuko aren't dating. Your auras are so compatible."

"Who's this Zuko guy and why aren't you dating?" Jia asks Katara. "Does he sleep around a lot, or is he afraid of commitment?"

"No! He's not like that!" Katara blurts out, offended on Zuko's behalf. "He takes relationships seriously!"

"How do you know?" Suki asks with a sly smirk, leaning forward as much as she could in her pouf. She raises her eyebrow inquisitively. "Did you guys… talk about it?"

"N-no," lies Katara, setting down her champagne on a dainty table, trying to hide her flaming face from the other girls' inquisitive gazes.

Toph lets out a gasp of surprise and Katara flinches.

"You're lying!" She hops off the platform she was on, and the poor seamstress gathers the excess cloth before she could stomp on them. "Spill the beans, Sugar Queen!"

"There are no beans to spill!" exclaims Katara, frantically waving her arms around. "W-We just talked about dating—"

"You talked about getting together?" squeals Ty Lee giddily, launching herself off the loveseat.

Katara shakes her head wildly.

"No! It— it wasn't like that!"

Toph gapes at her, and Katara finds herself shrinking in her sightless gaze.

"You're still lying," she says in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. Katara gulps and backs away when she realizes that Toph has put two and two together— her friend's face splits into a huge grin and she lands a powerful punch near Katara's hipbone, making her groan in pain.

"I fucking KNEW it! I'm the greatest matchmaker in the whole world!"

"Care to explain what's happening right now?" Jia mutters to Suki from the corner of her mouth, but Suki is also gaping at Katara.

"Zuko finally told you?" she asks excitedly once she got over her surprise. She almost topples over the boutique's delicate table in her rush to clasp Katara's hands. "Oh my gosh! This is so amazing— what did you say? Are you two together now?"

"No! No— he— I—" Katara flounders for words to say before collapsing on the loveseat that Ty Lee vacated and waving her hands tiredly at the seamstress. "Shouldn't we be getting our dresses done?"

"Oh, you're not getting away that easy, Sugar Queen," says Toph archly as Ty Lee helps her up the platform again, much to the relief of their seamstress. "I gotta know how dirty Sparky is in bed."

"We haven't done anything yet!" exclaims Katara, mortified. "We just talked, I swear! And we're not… we're not together."

"Oh, but why?" wheedles Suki, plunking her pouf closer to Katara. She leans her cheek on the loveseat's arm and looks at Katara dolefully. "He's a really sweet guy— underneath all that sulky awkwardness— and he cares so much about you."

"That's just it," Katara mutters, wringing her hands together. "I-I'm not saying that I haven't… thought about it, b-because I have, but— but I'm just not sure if I… if I feel the same way he feels about me. At least, not yet."

"'What the hell does that mean?" asks Toph, considerately not turning around as the seamstress works on her top. Katara sighs.

"I'm not sure if… I'm not sure if I'm in love with him yet," she says in one breath, hoping her friends wouldn't pounce on the new piece of information.

There is a loud rip as Toph slips from the platform. Suki stands up and apologizes profusely to the seamstress, but Toph just rights herself and points at a spot about two feet shy of Katara.

"Zuko told you he loves you? He told me he just likes you! When did motherfuckin' love happen?" she asks the wall incredulously. Katara slaps a hand to her forehead and stands up to guide her back to the platform.

"Toph, if you could just stand still for one minute so we could finish this fitting, I promise I'd go to whatever bar you choose and tell you everything, okay?"

"Am I part of that deal or are you already forgetting your future sister-in-law?" teases Suki.

"Yeah, I know we don't know each other that well, but can I come, too?" grins Jia. "I sense some major drama, and I want details."

"Ooooh, let's make it a girls' night!" Ty Lee claps her hands together and twirls around the room. "This is huge! We gotta celebrate!"

Katara buries her face in her hands and groans.

"Hey, buddy!" Sokka's voice filters through the door amid his insistent knocking. "Let me in!"

Zuko sighs and shuts off the TV. He's barely unlocked the door before Sokka swings it open and stalks in.

"You told my sister that you love her?" He asks without preamble. "Dude!"

He squishes Zuko into a very uncomfortable embrace and jumps up and down. Zuko grimaces and tries to shove him away, but Sokka holds on relentlessly.

"You should've told me you were gonna tell her!" He exclaims, holding Zuko at arm's length. "I would've talked you up!'

"I didn't plan on doing it— and I don't need your help," mutters Zuko sullenly, trying— and failing— to wiggle out of Sokka's grip. "Besides, your plans have a track record of not working."

"That's 'cause you never even gave them a chance!" Sokka throws his hands up and Zuko grabs his chance to spring away from him. He scowls as Sokka fixes him with a goofy grin.

"How did you even find out, anyway?" Zuko asks begrudgingly, sitting down on the couch. Sokka plops down beside him and places his feet casually on the coffee table.

"You see, my friend," Sokka says smugly, tucking his hands behind his head, "As a member of the police force, I have above average skills of deduction—"

"Did Katara tell you?" interrupts Zuko anxiously.

"No! Suki did!" exclaims Sokka defensively, before coughing and drawing himself up. "That— that is to say, I ran my observations past her and concluded from the evidence—"

"Oh no," mutters Zuko, realizing exactly where Katara is now and who she is with. He grasps at his hair in panic— Sokka stops rambling at his harried look. Zuko stares at him with wide eyes.

"She— she told them?" he gasps.

Sokka grimaces and nods.

"Suki texted me about it," he says apologetically, placing a hand on each of Zuko's shoulders. "Dude! Why do you look so scared? Of course she's gonna tell her friends about it!"

Zuko's mouth opens and closes as he works to get the words out.

"Why?"

"Dunno, man, that's just what girls do," Sokka waves him off, a gesture far too casual for Zuko's liking. "Anyway, I know I gotta do the whole 'big brother' speech on you, but I gotta say, man, after all the stuff you did to win her back— I'm just real glad you finally decided to tell her. I'm rooting for ya, buddy."

Zuko blinks at that, the rushing sound in his ears quieting.

"Really?" he asks hoarsely.

"Hell, I think I gotta have the 'big brother' talk with Katara at this point, to be honest," Sokka replies, scratching at his undercut with a bemused laugh. "She's as smart as a whip, but damn can she be blind. You're really great at taking care of her, y'know."

"I am?" Zuko asks in wonderment.

Sokka nods seriously.

"Look— I know my sister, alright? She's always got to be right about everything and she gets all bossy and involved and in your business… but..." He swallows audibly and leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and clasping his hands together. "Okay. I'm gonna tell you something crazy."

"Alright…" says Zuko hesitantly, unsure yet curious about the other guy's sudden change in demeanor.

Sokka heaves a huge sigh.

"I never told anyone this before, but honestly? I'm not sure I can remember what my mother looked like," he looks at Zuko from the corner of his eye and shrugs sadly. "It really seems like my whole life, Katara's been the one looking out for me. She's always been the one that's there. And now, when I try to remember my mom, Katara's is the only face I can picture."

Zuko has nothing to say to that, so he simply places a reassuring hand on Sokka's shoulder until he sits back up and shakes himself.

"Anyway, my point is— Katara's used to taking care of other people, but she's really stubborn about not letting other people take care of her," he says. "And you're stubborn enough to convince her to take a break from mothering everyone and to not let her work herself to the ground. I've always thought that she needed someone like that, y'know? Someone who'll look out for her when she's too busy looking out for everybody."

They are silent for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts, when Zuko exhales deeply.

"I don't deserve her. She's too good for me."

Sokka whips to face him so fast that part of his man bun slips out.

"What the fuck, man?" He exclaims, his voice cracking with incredulity. "Did you not hear a word I said?"

"I did," replies Zuko impatiently. "And that's the point. She's smart and tough and kind and beautiful— she cares so much about people and she works so hard to achieve her dreams— and I'm… I'm me. What the hell do I have to offer her? I grew up thinking I was better than everyone else, I've made so many mistakes—"

"Buddy, I think we all agreed you've already done more than enough to make up for your 'mistakes,'" interrupts Sokka, holding his fingers up in air quotes. "That thing with First Sozin wasn't even your fault to begin with, and your 'worst date ever' was ages ago. You've changed a lot since then."

"I did. And it was all because of her." he swallows, his voice barely above a whisper. He averts his gaze, feeling ridiculous for talking about his feelings so openly. "I'm scared that if I lose her, I'd go back to who I was before I met her."

He could feel Sokka staring at him in silence. He curls in on himself and glares at the coffee table, waiting for his friend to laugh in his face.

Sokka just sighs.

"Dude. You changed because you wanted to, whether you actively decided on it or not," he slings an arm around Zuko's shoulders and jostles him slightly. "Trust me. I know a thing or two about entitled pricks— Northern was full of 'em— and you can't just shove a person into an entitled prick's life and expect them to change. It all has to come from within."

Zuko groans and scrubs a hand over his face.

"Have you been spending time with my uncle?"

"No, man, but if your uncle and I are saying the same thing, then maybe you should start hearing us out." Sokka clasps his shoulder tightly. "You're a good dude, Zuko. Honestly, it kinda sucks that you need to be reminded of it a lot— like, seriously, a lot— but I think Katara's been pretty good at doing that, too. You're good for each other, y'know? Much better than she and Aang were."

Zuko blushes and shoves him away, and Sokka laughs and stands up.

"You got any beer, buddy?"

"Yeah," Zuko switches on the TV and leans back on the couch. "Grab me one, too."

"So, you haven't fucked, you haven't kissed, you just talked?" asks Toph, banging her shot glass down on the table. "What the hell, Sweetness?"

"He said he loves me, Toph!" Katara whines over her cocktail. "I'm not about to— to— jump on Zuko just because he told me he loves me!"

"Why, isn't he cute or something?" asks Jia.

"See for yourself!" Suki giggles over her drink and pulls out her phone. "He's the one in the black tank top."

Katara briefly sees their group picture from the Pride March before Jia tugs the device from Suki's hands. Jia lets out a low whistle.

"Damn, he's built like a god!" she exclaims. She brandishes the photo in Katara's face. "Are you seriously telling me you're not attracted to that?"

"He's a person, not an object," mutters Katara, taking the phone and handing it back to Suki.

"So you don't even like-like him at all?" Ty Lee asks in disbelief. "You spend so much time together!"

"I'm not saying I don't like him, it's just— I just don't want to play with his feelings just because I'm unsure of mine!" Katara exclaims. She sighs and takes a sip of her drink. "He's already been through so much. I can't— I don't— I don't want to break his heart."

"But you still wanna get in his pants and climb him like a tree," surmises Toph, smirking. Katara groans and takes a huge gulp of her cocktail.

"Okay, y'know what? Fine," she blows her hair out of her face, resisting the urge to fan her burning cheeks. "Yes, I'm attracted to Zuko, but he told me he loves me. I don't want us starting anything if we're not on the same page, because physical urges don't mean love."

"But they could lead to it," says Suki sagely. She scrutinizes Katara over the umbrella in her drink. "Katara, it's like you don't even want to give him a chance. Why is that?"

Katara stares at her, speechless.

It's not like she doesn't want to give Zuko a chance. Her memories are filled to the brim of all the moments they've shared, of all the things they've confided in each other and no one else, of all the times they've touched and all the times she's felt her heart race double-time in her chest. But...

I feel too much when I'm around him.

"I don't think that's a bad thing, Katara," Suki softly replies to the thought that escaped her lips. The other girls nod in agreement.

Katara looks at them in desperation.

"I'm scared and I'm so confused," she finally admits. "I don't know what this is, and I don't like not knowing! I haven't felt like this with anyone before— not with Aang, not with Haru, certainly not with Jet. It's like there's so much going on when we're together but it also feels really easy to be around him—"

"Wow, Sugar Queen, you make it sound like you haven't been in love before," snarks Toph, but Katara stops rambling at her statement.

Had she actually been in love before? The kind of love that she saw between her parents when she was young, between Sokka and Suki now, and before, with Sokka and Yue?

Her relationship with Haru had been too casual for her to consider even falling in love. She had been pretty sure she was in love with Jet, but after all that's been said and done between them, she had dismissed the relationship quite quickly after her initial anger. She had loved Aang as a brother first before she allowed anything romantic between them— there was no electrifying heat between them, no sparks under her fingertips, and for a while Katara believed that was how things should be, because after Jet, she was sure that having fire pulsing through her body spelled an instant doom.

But with Zuko, it feels safe to feel that heat. It isn't a wildfire like it was with Jet, and it isn't a subdued campfire like it was with Aang, but somehow it feels like both— like it could consume her yet comfort her at the same time.

"Katara?"

Suki's voice pulls her out of her musings. They are all looking at her in varying degrees of concern.

"Is that what this is?" she asks, her voice strangled, her heart in her throat. "Am I in love with Zuko?"

The other girls exchange glances, opening their mouths to reply, but it's Suki who speaks first.

"That's really a question only you can answer, Katara," she says seriously. "But if you are, you can't keep him hanging. You gotta tell him."

Katara sighs and draws patterns on the sticky tabletop.

"Is it… is it bad that I don't want to cross that line with him yet?" She asks, bringing her fingers up to the sides of her head and massaging her temples. She hunches in on herself as she continues. "I don't want to consider it just because he told me he has feelings for me. I want it to— to develop naturally. Does that make sense?"

"For me, it doesn't," says Toph bluntly. "But hey, it's your life, Sweetness. Waste it however you want."

A/N: Aaaand it's done! This part was supposed to happen way later in the timeline I plotted, but fictional characters have a way of surprising you as you're writing them. What do you guys think of this development?

On another note, Jia is an OC I have from This War of Ours. She's a Kyoshi Warrior there, and I like her so much that I decided to make her one of Suki's longtime friends here.

Comments and feedback are always welcome!