Guess who's favorite author is a great big dum-dum and somehow, SOMEHOW, didn't realize that she was sitting on a completely edited chapter, ready to be delivered to her dear readers for TWO DAYS? Your favorite author, dear reader. (At least I hope I'm your favorite...if not, that's okay too.)
Oh, but how were we to know that these are the days
That binds you together, forever?
And these little things define you forever, forever?
All this bad blood here, won't you let it dry?
It's been cold for years, won't you let it lie?
"Bad Blood" by Bastille
They went out for lunch at their favorite noodle restaurant. They were seated at a booth by the window, with Sokka and Suki on one side and Katara and Hakoda on the other. The waitress brought out menus and the conversation was limited to discussing which bowl of noodles everyone wanted.
Katara's mind drifted to Zuko. She wondered what he was doing. Was he working on homework back at their hotel? Or was he taking advantage of their brief reprieve from Ba Sing Se to enjoy what Gaoling had to offer? He hadn't said what he would be doing, and she hadn't thought to ask, so she couldn't help but wonder.
"Hm?" Katara looked up, realizing her dad had said something to her.
"I asked how school was going," Hakoda repeated. "Sokka said you got a job at a tea shop. Do you like it?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. It's great," Katara answered with a smile. "It's not much different than working at a Starbucks."
Hakoda smiled. "That's good. How are your classes?"
"They're fine. I'm doing pretty well so far."
Sokka interrupted to say something about one of his courses, and Katara turned her attention back to the menu, although she already knew what she was going to order. A foot nudged hers under the table and Katara glanced up to meet Suki's eyes. Her dad and brother were now engrossed in hockey plays, so Suki took the opportunity to mouth, we need to talk. Now. Katara sighed inwardly.
"I need the ladies' room," Suki said, batting her eyelashes at Sokka. She turned to Katara. "Will you come with me?"
Katara knew there was no getting out of it, so she put on a smile. "Sure!"
Sokka looked back at their dad with a snort. "Girls, am I right?"
The two girls gave the guys their orders before they slipped out of the booth and headed for the bathrooms. As soon as they were alone, Suki turned toward her.
"You did not tell me Zuko was that fucking hot!" Suki exclaimed, pushing Katara's shoulder. "If I'd known that man was a walking god, I would've told you to hop on the Zuko Express days ago." She scowled. "And what was that about him being an asshole? He seems like a perfect gentleman."
"He is, when he's not being an asshole." Katara planted her fists on her hips. "He was an asshole. And now he's not."
"Because, obviously, he likes you."
Katara turned away from Suki and leaned against the sink. "No, he doesn't. I'm not his type."
"Oh, whatever. You didn't see the way he looked at you when we picked you up at the hotel," Suki retorted. Katara watched her waggle her eyebrows in the mirror.
"Seriously?" Katara tried to keep the hopeful tone out of her voice, but she was pretty sure she failed miserably. "Wh-what makes you say that? How did he look at me?"
Suki shrugged. "Like, he was bummed to see you go. Don't play dumb. You know how guys look when they're around a girl they like." She arched her brow. "So, are you guys sharing a hotel room or what?"
"Suki!" Color rose in her cheeks. Katara spun around.
Suki gasped. A grin creased her face. "You are, aren't you?"
"It's not what you think!" Katara rushed to explain. "There was only one room left because of some convention or something. And there are two beds." Katara scowled at Suki. "And if you breathe a word of this to Sokka or my father, I will end you."
"Oh, I won't say anything. I don't want to mess up your perfect opportunity to tame that dragon." Suki started for the door. "But I'm telling you, Tara. That boy has the hots for you. Trust me."
Katara glared at the back of her best friend's head as she followed her out of the bathroom, unable to think of anything to say, and unsure if she should allow herself to feel hopeful or not.
After lunch, they drove around Gaoling to take in the sights, and to take a trip down memory lane. They drove past the house they had lived in, and the park they used to play at. Nostalgia overcame them as they regaled Suki with stories from when Sokka and Katara were kids.
Hakoda had filled them in on what had been going on in his life as well. It seemed that illegal smuggling was becoming a huge issue, with large cartels that were basically small armies causing trouble for the navy. Katara and Sokka were worried, but Hakoda assured them that he rarely saw true combat.
Later they spent the afternoon at an Earth Rumble VI match, which was one of Sokka and Hakoda's favorite pastimes. Katara found that she was happy there, sitting with her father and brother. It felt like it had been too long since the three of them were together. Wrestling was something Hakoda would take them to see every time he was home from deployment, and having Suki along was an added bonus.
For Katara, Gaoling was home just as much as the South Pole was. Hakoda had moved them there a year after their mom passed away. The South Pole was too painful for all of them, and they needed a fresh start. But a year after that, Hakoda had re-enlisted in the Navy to help support them. Gran-Gran had moved up from the South Pole to take care of Katara and Sokka while Hakoda was away on deployments.
After the kids had grown up and gone to college, Gran-Gran had moved back home. It had been years since they had seen their grandmother. But since flights to the South Pole didn't come cheap, Sokka had stayed with friends during his summer breaks. Katara had spent part of last summer on Kyoshi with Suki, and then had crashed with Sokka at Hahn's crappy two-bedroom apartment.
Katara suspected now that Hakoda had re-enlisted because the distance was still not enough.
But did he have to leave his kids behind? Katara had always tried to understand why their father left, but it was hard, even now. They all missed Kya. And their father being gone didn't make it any easier on any of them. Even had still hurt.
The bell signaling the end of the match brought Katara's thoughts back to the present and they stood up to go. Sokka was disappointed that his favorite wrestler, The Boulder, lost to an up-and-comer named the Blind Bandit, and he whined about it all the way through the souvenir stand and out to the car, at which point Hakoda finally asked why Sokka was driving a different car.
"I've been meaning to ask, what happened with the Suburban?" Hakoda inquired.
Katara felt her stomach drop. She didn't know why she cared if her father knew Zuko had given her a ride, but for some reason she did. It was ridiculous. She was an adult, for spirits' sake! But she was relieved nonetheless when Sokka didn't say anything about Zuko.
"Blew a head gasket on the way to pick up Katara," Sokka replied. "So I borrowed a buddy's car."
Hakoda frowned. "Sokka, I told you to take care of that car."
Sokka sighed dramatically. "You don't have to tell me, Dad. Katara already ripped me a new one about it."
Hakoda offered a grin to her. "That's my girl."
Katara gave a cheesy grin and Suki laughed before they all got into the borrowed Mustang.
With evening approaching, they decided on dinner at the only restaurant in the city that served South Pole cuisine. It was a bit of a drive away from where the rumble match had been held, but time passed quickly as Katara listened to her brother and father rehashed the match.
Once they were seated and had ordered their meals, Katara felt a sense of longing as she nibbled on sea prunes and sautéed blubbered seal meat.
She got a text near the end of the meal from Aang.
A: Missed you for Cards night. Hope the trip is going well.
K: It is, thanks. How was your meet?
A: Great. Set two new personal records.
"You know, Katara, it's rude to be on your phone at dinner," Sokka remarked haughtily.
Katara snorted, but she put her phone away. "You sound like Gran-Gran."
"Remember when she used to make us turn our phones off and put them in the middle of the table?" Sokka chortled at the memory.
"Spirits, yes. Family bonding and all of that," Katara chuckled.
"Speaking of Gran-Gran, I told your brother that I was going to try to go down to the South Pole for Christmas," Hakoda stated, turning toward Katara. "I was hoping the two of you—three of you, if you want to go, Suki—would come down, too."
Katara's eyes lit up. "Dad! That would be amazing! I haven't been home in...years." Their last trip to the South Pole had been when Katara was sixteen, as a graduation gift to Sokka. "I'd love to go."
"Me too," Sokka said, an excited grin on his face. He looked at Suki. "What do you say, babe?"
"I'll try," Suki said with a happy smile. "I'd love to visit the South Pole."
"Great, I'll get that taken care of then." Hakoda looked at their mostly-empty plates. "What do we say we call it a night? It's been a good day, and you kids have a long drive tomorrow."
Hakoda was staying in a motel close to the airport so he could fly out again on Monday morning. Katara was suddenly glad she and Zuko had stayed at the BEK and not the other motel by the airport.
"No, we don't. Only Katara does," Sokka said as he shoveled the last bite of sea urchin into his mouth.
Katara could have kicked him. They had gotten through the entire day without bringing Zuko up one time. Then her brother had to open his big mouth.
Hakoda frowned. "You didn't go get your sister? I thought you said you were."
"That was the plan, until I blew that head gasket in the Suburban. Katara caught a ride with a friend," Sokka explained hastily, catching his sister's frosty glare. "I wasn't able to get Hahn's car until he got off of work last night."
"Hm, I guess you should take better care of that car, then." He glanced over at Katara. "Well, that was nice of your friend to bring you down. That drive is no joke. Did you meet them at college?"
Katara was grateful that her dad didn't ask for any specifics. Maybe he was finally realizing—where Sokka failed or refused to—that Katara was a grown woman capable of making her own choices.
"Yeah, I did," Katara replied. She still decided to throw her dad a bone, so he wouldn't ask any questions. "We share a class and we've done some projects together. And, funny enough, we work together too."
Hakoda smiled at her. "I'm glad you're making some friends, Katara."
She smiled back. "Me too."
Sokka headed toward her hotel after they dropped their dad off. The goodbye had been emotional, but it was comforting to know that goodbye wouldn't be so long this time. Katara glanced at the car's clock as they started back for the hotel and saw it was a little past 8 pm.
"What do you say to a movie at your hotel before me and Suki head out, Katara?" Sokka asked.
Katara felt a lick of panic in the pit of her stomach. "Uh, I don't know, Sokka. I'm pretty tired and we have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow…" Her eyes bore holes into the back of Suki's head, imploring her to talk her brother out of it. "I should really get to bed early."
"Oh, fuck that. You never go to bed early. Everyone knows you're a night owl," Sokka said, waving her off. "Besides, I wanna get to know this Zuko guy better. I'm not at BSSU to keep an eye on him for you, so I'll take what opportunities I can." He glanced over at Suki. "What do you say, babe?"
Suki peered back at Katara. She shook her head fractionally, but Suki's face split into a grin. "Sure! I'm down for a movie."
Katara cursed them both. Then she took out her phone and sent Zuko a text.
K: Warning. My brother and his gf want to watch a movie and you're invited.
Zuko's response was immediate.
Z: Shit. You didn't tell him we were sharing a room did you?
K: Are you crazy?!
K: I'll just tell them we'll watch the movie in my room. Hide your backpack in the cupboard. And make sure your bed doesn't look slept in please!
Z: How much time do I have?
K: Fifteen minutes tops
Z: Aye-aye, Captain.
Katara covered her snort with a laugh. Sokka looked at her in the rear view mirror.
"You okay, sis?"
Katara waved him off. "I'm fine. We're going to watch the movie in my room."
Sokka shrugged. "Fine by me."
An hour later, the four of them were in her hotel room halfway through some action movie Sokka had picked out on the flat screen TV. None of them had argued against his choice, but Katara was dreadfully bored. She didn't understand the plot. She just knew there were a lot of explosions and muscled men toting guns were running around shirtless.
Sokka and Suki were snuggled up on her bed. Katara was sitting cross-legged on top of the duvet on Zuko's bed, and he had claimed one of the chairs from the small table by the window and had set it at the foot of his bed. Katara could only see the left side of his profile, but she could tell he wasn't entirely hating this.
To her surprise (and chagrin), Zuko and Sokka were...actually getting along. Katara hadn't decided if that was a good or a bad thing.
Between explosions on the screen, Sokka was nonchalantly grilling Zuko about everything from his major to his favorite sports team. He seemed to really take a shine to him when Zuko told him he liked hockey.
Zuko took it all in stride, answering all of her brother's questions. Katara was relieved when Sokka didn't ask any serious questions. Like how Zuko got his scar. Or if Zuko was banging his little sister.
When the movie was halfway through, Katara inconspicuously texted Zuko.
K: Sorry about my brother. He's nosy.
She watched Zuko check his phone. His head turned fractionally in her direction, just enough so she could see the slight curve of his lips. He texted her back.
Z: It's not that bad. He's kind of funny.
K: If you think that qualifies as a sense of humor, you have led a sheltered life.
She saw the slight shake in Zuko's shoulders as he laughed silently at her reply. Katara smiled behind her hand.
Finally, the movie was over. Katara made a point to stretch and yawn deeply. She looked over at Suki and Sokka and put on her best sleepy smile.
"Well, that was fun, but we really should be going to bed now. We're heading out pretty early," Katara said.
Suki took the hint. "Yeah, she's right, babe." She slid off the bed and sent Katara a wink when neither of the boys were looking, which Katara pointedly ignored. "Besides, I still have a crap-ton of homework to do."
Sokka stood up and slid his feet into his boots. "Alright, alright." He looked over at Zuko. "Get her home safe, will you?"
Zuko threw a mock salute. "Scout's honor." He stood up and headed for the door. "I'll uh, see you in the morning, Katara."
She caught his drift, and nodded along. "Yep. Have a good night."
As he passed by Sokka and Suki, Zuko offered his hand to Sokka. "It was nice to meet you both."
"Likewise." Sokka shook the proffered hand and gave an affirming nod.
Zuko ducked out of the room. Katara hugged Sokka and Suki before they left, and once they were gone she let out a sigh of relief. A few minutes later, Zuko came back to the room. She offered him a sheepish smile.
"Sorry about that. Sokka is…" Katara trailed off, searching for the right word. Not finding one, she shrugged. "He's Sokka."
"It's okay. Really. He's not that bad. I'd rather deal with him than my sister, by any means." Zuko flashed her a smile. "Are you ready to get to bed? I want to be out of here pretty early. Hopefully we'll beat the traffic."
Katara covered a yawn with her hand. "Oh yeah, I'm definitely ready for bed."
She grabbed her backpack, which had been left by her bedside table. She unzipped it to grab her pajamas and froze when she saw something new laying on top of her clothes. She scowled as she registered the blue condom wrappers. Suki must have snuck those in when Sokka was in the bathroom, though Katara had no idea how Suki knew it was there. That girl was too sneaky.
"Are you okay?"
Katara realized she had been scowling into her backpack for too long. She quickly shoved the condoms deeper into her bag and pulled out her pajamas. "Um, yeah, I'm fine. I'm uh, gonna go get ready for bed now."
Katara ducked into the bathroom, ignoring his questioning look. As soon as the door was shut she grabbed her phone and sent a furious text to Suki.
K: Are you fucking kidding me?! How did you sneak condoms into my bag without anyone noticing?!
Suki's reply was instantaneous.
S: You're welcome ;)
S: Also I did it when Sokka was in the bathroom and you were too busy checking Zuko out to notice me.
K: I seriously hate you.
S: No you don't. Slay that dragon!
S: I hope 2 is enough!
Katara didn't even entertain her with a response. Instead she stripped out of her clothes and yanked on her shorts, fuming. Then Katara paused as she looked at the tank top she had originally packed, remembering what Suki had said about Zuko. Before she lost her nerve, Katara pulled it on over her head. Then she brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and washed her face.
By the time she was done, she was feeling only a little better. Suki was just trying to help her out, she told herself as she left the bathroom, even if it wasn't totally welcome.
Zuko was still sitting in the chair and was scrolling through his phone. When he finally looked up, she watched his eyes quickly trail the length of her long legs before finally reaching her face. Was he...checking her out?
His mouth twitched in a smirk as he stood up. He grabbed his sweatpants, which he had set, neatly folded, on the corner of the bed. Katara offered him a smile in return as he disappeared into the bathroom.
Katara climbed under the duvet and plugged in her phone before she set her alarm.
A few minutes later Zuko emerged from the bathroom, shirtless this time around. Katara peeked at him as he crossed the room to turn off the light. She hadn't allowed herself a good look at him that morning, so she allowed her eyes to drift across his sculpted chest, down to his hips, and back up again over his abs. He really was deliciously muscled, lean and wiry. And she was pleased to see that she had been right about his happy trail.
Katara rolled onto her side, but he caught her eye as he flicked off the light.
"Bright and early," he said huskily.
Katara ignored the fluttering in her stomach. "Bright and early." She leaned up on her elbow as he walked by the foot of her bed. "I guess you don't have your nipples pierced after all."
He chuckled in response. "Good night, Katara."
She laid down on her pillows, a smile creasing her face. "Good night, Zuko."
Also, I'm excited to announce that my amazing beta, FireLadyFae, and I will be joining the Zutara Big Bang 2021! If you don't know what it is, you should check out the blog over on Tumblr. I'm super excited to be joining in, and I've got a great story idea cooking for it. And, of course, we have another Zutara writing fest coming up in April. With all of that being said, postings for PWF and my other works may slow down. But rest assured, I won't abandon them!