"So my dad and brother are really coming around to you," Katara murmured.

They were currently hiding in a dark corner of the parlor. Katara wouldn't say they were exactly hiding, but they were certainly making a point of making themselves scarce. It seemed like half of the village was out there, and Katara was certain that everyone was just dying to meet Zuko.

Zuko looked over at her, his eyebrow lifted in surprise. "Seriously? What did they say?"

"Sokka basically gave his approval," Katara told him. "And my dad...wants to see more of you. Like, he wants to come visit for Winter Solstice."

"Holy shit, are you serious?" Zuko gaped at her. He swallowed hard. "What about your mom and grandma?"

"Are you kidding? You've seen Gran. She can't wait for you to knock me up." Katara took a sip of her wine. "And my mom seems to like you, too."

Zuko let out a breath. He wasn't sure if it was one of relief or something else. And he didn't know how he felt about that, so he just said, "Your family is fucking crazy."

Katara took another drink of her wine. "Yeah, I know. Pretty sure I told you that." She snorted out a laugh. "I didn't have time to tell you, but guess what my family did for me today."

"What?"

She gave him a sardonic smirk. "They threw me a bachelorette party. There was even a stripper."

Zuko buried a laugh in his beer. "Was she hot, at least?"

Katara shouldered him. "It was a guy. My cousin's friend, which just makes it worse."

"I'm sorry." But he was still snickering and he didn't sound very sorry at all.

"Yeah, and all you did was shoot a deer. I think I had the shittier day of the two of us."

"Hey, I also had to deal with your asshole brother," he reminded her. "And my phone was stolen by a bird."

"There was man-junk. In my face. And I had to spank him. I'm scarred."

Zuko shuddered dramatically. "Okay, you win. You had a worse day, and your family is crazy."

"Told you." She eyed him. "Do you think I'll have the same luck with your family?"

Zuko snorted. "Are you kidding? You're a catch. My mom's gonna adore you. Kiyi will love you. And, well, Iroh already likes you, and so does Azula."

Katara nibbled her bottom lip. "What about your dad?"

"You're never going to meet my dad. He's never going to find out about you."

Katara peered up at him. "Things are that bad between you, huh?"

Zuko let out a sigh. "I know I told you I'd tell you today, but honestly, I'm too fucking tired to have that conversation with you."

"You're too tired, or you're trying to avoid it?" Katara arched her brow at him. "You've been pretty open so far with everything else...but you're tight-lipped about your dad."

Zuko shook his head before he tipped his beer down his throat. "Not a good time, Kat."

"Kat? So we're moving on to nicknames now?" Katara offered him a smile, feeling bad that she had pressured him about his dad. "Would it be weird if I called you Zuzu?"

"Incredibly."

Katara snickered. "Fine. Honestly, that felt really weird to say."

"Good." Zuko looked at her. "Azula called me that when we were kids. When we were really little, it was because she couldn't say my name, you know?"

"I used to call Sokka Socky."

Zuko chuckled. Then he sobered. "As we got older she just said it to get under my skin, you know? To be an asshole. When Kiyi was little, she heard Azula call me that, so she did. She's never stopped. She never knew why Azula called me that."

"And you've never told her," Katara said. Zuko shook his head. "That explains your guys' thing with the names then."

Zuko nodded. "Yeah. I was twelve when Kiyi was born. I thought she was...the most incredible thing I'd ever seen. At least until she spit up on me."

Katara laughed. "Man, I'm glad I'm the youngest." She peered up at him. "You two are close, huh?"

"Yeah, we are." Zuko shrugged. "She wants to go to college at BSSU next year, like I did. She hates that I live so far away."

"Good for her," Katara said. "She seems like a sweet kid."

"She is."

"Katara! There you are!"

Katara looked up and saw an old woman coming their way with a wide smile. Katara leaned closer to Zuko.

"That's Hama, Gran's best friend," she murmured to him. "Prepare for her to talk your ear off."

Zuko forced a smile at the old woman as she approached them. "Great."

Katara stepped forward to meet her, embracing the old woman quickly. "Hama! It's so good to see you!" She gestured to Zuko. "This is Zuko."

"Ah, the fiancé!" Hama extended her hand to him. "Hi, how are you? It's a pleasure to meet you."

Zuko shook her leathery hand. "Good, thank you. Pleasure to meet you."

Hama turned back to Katara. "Let me see that ring, girl. Ooh, do you know how long we've been waiting for this?"

Katara held out her left hand and Hama brought it closer to her face to inspect the ring. "A long time, I'm sure."

"Forever, it feels like," Hama remarked. She twisted Katara's hand to inspect the ring. "Lovely ring."

"Thanks," Katara said as Hama finally let go of her.

Hama appraised Zuko. "So I've always wanted to know, what does one do in marketing anyway?"

"That's a great question, Hama," a new voice drawled. "I'm curious to know the answer myself."

Katara looked at the newcomer. "Uncle Unalaq. I wasn't aware you'd be here."

"I wouldn't miss Gran's party for the world." He eyed Zuko. "So you're the Zuko I've been hearing about all night, then."

Zuko's eyes cut to Katara for a moment. There seemed to be some tension between him and Katara. Zuko wondered what that was about.

Zuko held his hand out. "Yes. Pleasure to meet you."

Unalaq ignored the outstretched hand and Zuko let it fall to his side awkwardly. "So why don't you tell us what marketing is all about, besides convincing hardworking folks to buy shit that they don't need?"

"Zuko is actually a marketing manager," Katara interjected before Zuko could answer. "He oversees some of our biggest accounts. He's in charge of our entire department."

"Well, that sounds like fun," Hama said in a clear attempt to ease the tension. She smiled at Katara. "No wonder you like being a...what is it? Market analyst?"

"No, Hama, Katara isn't a market analyst. She's Zuko's assistant." His eyes pierced Zuko. "Zuko is actually her boss."

"Actually, I was recently promoted to market analyst," Katara replied icily.

"Though if Zuko is the head of your department, he's still your boss, isn't he?"

Katara exhaled hotly through her nose. She and her uncle hadn't gotten along in years. She knew he disapproved of her choice to move to the Earth Kingdom rather than stay amongst her people, and to make a career for herself rather than finding a husband—clearly Zuko didn't fit that bill. Katara didn't like him because she knew he was just waiting for Gran to die so he could collect his inheritance.

She lifted her empty wine glass. "I'm gonna get a refill."

Katara stalked away. She was displeased when Unalaq followed her as she went into the kitchen. She shot him a glare as she found a bottle of wine.

"Charming," she hissed at him.

"You think we don't know all about this guy, Katara?" Unalaq told her sharply. "Unlike you, the rest of the family actually talks to each other."

Katara narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know exactly what you've told your brother," Unalaq replied aridly as he grabbed a beer. "You show up after all this time, with this man that you hated, and now he's your boyfriend? And, to make it all better, he's Fire Nation."

"Fiancé," Katara corrected hotly. "Can we not do this here? It's Gran-Gran's birthday."

Unalaq shrugged before he took a sip of his beer. "I just never figured you for a woman who slept her way to the middle."

Katara gaped at him for a moment, speechless. Was he drunk? He had to be drunk. There was no other explanation for his brazen disrespect. Her hand tightened around the glass in her fingers as she struggled to reign in her temper.

"You are out of line," she bit out. "And I'll have you know that that man in there has worked hard to get to where he is. He is one of the most dedicated and hardworking people I know."

Unalaq pointed an accusatory finger at her. "He's your meal ticket, and you brought him here to meet your grandmother."

Katara shook her head, a furious, incredulous smile creasing her face. "No, no, no. He's not my meal ticket. Not all of us are obsessed with money. He's my fucking fiancé. I'm going to marry him and make beautiful mixed race babies with him and there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it. And we are done here, Uncle Unalaq."

Katara stormed away, feeling the way her limbs trembled with her fury and adrenaline. How dare he? How fucking dare he? She'd had enough! And surely, if her uncle felt that way, it was likely that others felt the way he did.

She stalked into the dining room, where the most people were gathered. People turned towards her, but Katara was only focused on Zuko, who was still in the parlor with Hama.

"Zuko, honey, where are you?" She beckoned him to her. "Come on over here."

Zuko's eyes widened, and Katara offered him an encouraging nod. Hama nudged him, and Zuko tipped the rest of his beer down his throat before he stepped out into the dining room.

"There he is," Katara said, pasting a bright smile to her face. "Right there, ladies and gentleman."

Zuko came to a stop in front of her. "What are you doing?" he murmured out of the corner of his mouth.

Katara took his hand and faced the crowd. "This is my fiancé. Zuko. Yes, he's my boss. Yes, he's from the Fire Nation. And yes, we are madly in love."

"Congratulations, Katara!" Hama called.

Choruses of congratulations flooded the air. Katara and Zuko accepted them graciously. Some people were clearly surprised, and Katara was sure she would hear about it later, but for the moment, she didn't care.

"Time to celebrate!" Kanna exclaimed. "Let's get the champagne!"

Korra strode up to them, a grin on her face, with Bolin in tow. Katara's cheeks grew red, but clearly, Bolin was unfazed by their afternoon.

"Zuko, this is my cousin, Korra," Katara introduced them. "And this is her friend, Bolin."

Korra held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too." Zuko offered his hand to Bolin. "Good to meet you."

"Same, man." Bolin leaned in closer after he clasped Zuko's hand. "And thanks for being cool about the strip dance thing. Korra begged me to."

Zuko looked at Katara, one eyebrow arched, and she shrugged helplessly. Then he gave Bolin a small smile. "No worries, man."

"Great party so far, huh? You and Zuko are all anyone can talk about," Korra remarked, and Katara's expression soured. Then Korra grinned. "So, did I miss the story?"

Zuko and Katara exchanged a look. "What story?" Katara asked.

"About how you proposed," Korra said to Zuko.

"I wouldn't mind hearing this story," Hama, who had suddenly appeared again, said. She winked at Zuko. "The way a man proposes says a lot about his character."

Hama's voice carried across the room, and suddenly, it seemed like every set of eyes was on them.

"Oh." He swallowed hard. "I'm just gonna let Katara tell that story. She loves to tell it. Because I think we should uh, just sit in rapture."

How had they forgotten to come up with a story for that? How had it completely slipped their minds? Zuko wasn't sure, but he hoped Katara could think of something quickly.

"Right. Um." Katara cleared her throat. "Where to begin…? Well, um, Zuko and I were about to celebrate our six month anniversary. I know a lot of people think that's childish, but really, the sixth month mark is the end of the honeymoon period and I don't know, I've always been such a hopeless romantic. I just...had a feeling he was itching to ask me to marry him. But he was afraid that it was too soon, so I started leaving him hints here and there."

"I mean, I picked up on all of her hints," Zuko interjected. "This woman's about as subtle as a gun."

Katara gestured to him. "Which you would know now, since my dad and brother took you hunting. He bagged a huge buck. Six point. Amazing."

"Congratulations," Korra told him, clearly impressed.

"What I was worried about was that she would find this...this little box," Zuko said, gesticulating with his hands.

All around them, her friends and family were watching with rapt attention. Katara knew that she had to paint Zuko in the best light possible in order to get their approval.

"I did find that box," Katara said. "It was this little decoupage box. Navy blue. Beautiful. And when I opened it—"

"There was nothing in it," Zuko cut her off. He eyed her, his gaze flickering to the ring on her finger.

Shit! Katara scolded herself. How did I forget we picked the ring out together? Gotta keep our stories straight.

"Except for a note," Katara amended. She looked at him. "With the address of a hotel, a date, and a time…" She shook her head a bit. "It was so romantic. So I went to that hotel, and when I got to the room, the door was unlocked. Zuko was waiting for me with a dozen fire lilies—which is incredibly difficult since they're native to the Fire Nation and are only in season for a few weeks in the early summer—"

Zuko smiled at her. "Anything for you, love."

Katara returned the smile. "And he was standing there, and when I came in he got on one knee, and asked me to marry him." She took his hand. "And the rest is history." She lifted entwined their hands to show off the engagement ring. "We went and picked the ring out together."

"That is quite a story," Hama remarked with a warm smile.

"Oh, Zuko!" Kanna beamed a smile at him from where she sat. "You are so sensitive!"

Color rose in Zuko's unmarked cheek. "Oh, um...it's no big deal."

"Oh yes, it is!" Kanna stood up and waved her hands towards them. "Let's see a kiss from these two cuties!"

Katara and Zuko exchanged a look.

Zuko shook a head. "Oh no."

"Come on, guys," Katara said, holding her hands up.

"Go for it!" Korra encouraged. She elbowed Bolin. "Or maybe Bolin will instead?"

"Korra!" Katara choked out.

Zuko gave Katara a pleading look, but she just shrugged. He huffed out a breath before he forcibly smiled. "Okay, here we go."

He leaned in and pecked her cheek quickly before he pulled back, his cheeks burning. Pink had risen in Katara's face too.

But apparently, Katara's grandmother wasn't satisfied with that. "What is this?" Kanna exclaimed. "Kiss her on the mouth! Kiss her like you mean it!"

"Give her a kiss," Korra insisted, punching his shoulder.

"Please don't do that," Zuko muttered. He looked at Katara. "Ready?"

She nodded. "Just do it really fast."

Zuko leaned in and kissed her quickly, his lips barely brushing over hers. He pulled back and let out a silent breath, hoping her family would leave them be, and suddenly feeling grateful that his family wasn't much for public displays of affection.

"Oh, I'm sure you can do better than that!" Kanna laughed gleefully. "How can I expect grandchildren if you can't even kiss her properly?"

Katara watched as a pink blush crept up his neck. She leaned in closer to him. "Just kiss me, okay?"

"Okay."

Zuko kissed her again, this time pressing his mouth fully against hers. She tasted like sweet wine and her lips were soft. Zuko let his eyes fall closed as his hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking her cheekbone of its own accord. Katara seemed to melt into him, and her hand knotted into the material of his shirt.

Somewhere, distantly, it seemed, her grandmother gave a cheer. "Whoo! Now we're talking. Aren't they just so cute?" Katara heard Unalaq mutter sarcastically, "Oh, definitely, Mother."

"Let's get the champagne!" Korra whooped.

Katara and Zuko broke apart. For a moment, they stood in place, out of breath. Katara couldn't tear her eyes away from Zuko, not when she could still feel the impression of his lips on hers.

"Wow," she breathed. Then Katara pulled back and downed her wine. She looked at Korra. "Champagne?"

Zuko watched her go, feeling stunned. That kiss was...something else. What did it possibly mean?

"Do you want to talk about your dad now?" Katara asked softly.

The dinner had finally ended around an hour ago. Zuko and Katara had escaped as quickly as they could, giving the excuse of being tired. Thankfully, her family let them go willingly enough.

Now they were getting ready to go to sleep. Zuko was on the floor with his pillow and quilt (and reluctantly enough, the Baby Maker—it was even colder tonight than it had been the night before), and Katara was laying on her back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Somehow, I'm not so sure immigration is going to ask about that," Zuko deflected.

"But we don't know that. We need to know this stuff about each other," Katara murmured. "Bluffing my parents is one thing. But I really don't feel like spending five years in prison if we get caught."

"I'll tell you tomorrow," Zuko said with finality. She heard him yawn pointedly.

But Katara had told him that she was stubborn, and she knew he was only putting it off to avoid talking about it. They both had things they didn't want the other to know, but for this to work, there had to be full disclosure. That included talking about the embarrassing things about themselves, like Katara's teenage obsession with Justin Bieber, and the painful things, like Zuko's father.

"I like stupid reality TV like Teen Mom and Real Housewives," Katara said quietly.

Zuko frowned. "What?"

"And not in the, haha, isn't that funny, she likes that trash? kind of way. I actually really enjoy it." Katara pursed her lips. "I took tap dancing lessons in the sixth grade. My first concert was CeeLo Green. I think Matthew McConaughey is sexy. I don't like flowers in the house because they remind me of funerals." Katara exhaled a shallow breath. "I haven't been with a guy in a year and a half. And...I have gone to the bathroom and cried several times while I worked for you."

Zuko sucked in a sharp breath. Had she really? He had never known. Had he really been that bad to work for? Sure, Zuko was a stern, no-nonsense boss, but he could've been worse. He could have been Zhao.

"I'm sure there are many, many other things, but that's all I can think of right now," Katara said softly.

She waited tensely for Zuko to say something, but all she got was silence. She could hear his breathing, and she wondered if he had fallen asleep. Her stomach clenched nervously.

"You there?" Katara whispered.

Zuko's voice was quiet. "I'm here." He cleared his throat. "Just processing." Zuko frowned again. "You really haven't slept with anyone in eighteen months?"

Katara snorted out an incredulous laugh. "Oh. My. Spirits. Out of all of that, that's all you got?"

"That's a long time." His tone was almost awestricken.

A blush rose in her cheeks. "Well, I've been busy." She narrowed her eyes. "When was the last time you were with a woman?"

Zuko cleared his throat again. "Um…it's been a while. Nine or ten months." He paused for a moment. "Who's the singer, the one you saw? Green something…?"

"CeeLo Green," Katara supplied, knowing full and well that he was changing the subject but choosing to go along with it. "You know, he sings...I see you driving round town with the girl I love and I'm like, fuck you, ooh-ooh-ooh."

Zuko chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to hear you sing it."

"Wow, I see how you are."

"It's a good song," he said. Zuko hesitated. "Katara?"

"Yeah?"

Zuko let out a quiet breath. "Don't take this the wrong way but...you are an incredibly beautiful woman."

Katara couldn't help the girlish smile that spread across her face as a pleasant warmth flushed her cheeks. But before she could say anything, Zuko started singing slightly off-key.

"Yeah, she's an Xbox, and I'm more Atari, but that don't mean I can't get you there." Katara buried her laugh in her hands. "I pity the fool who falls in love with—shit, I can't sing that high."

This time Katara didn't cover her laugh. Zuko joined her a moment later. Then Katara propped herself up on her elbow. Zuko looked up at her.

"I'm not trying to pressure you about your dad, you know," she told him earnestly.

Zuko huffed out a breath as he scrubbed his hand down his face, the remaining laughter fading from his face. "I know. It's just not easy to talk about."

Katara drummed her fingers against her leg. "If you want, we can work on some of the other questions. I looked them up online."

Zuko looked over at her, his eyebrow arched. "I thought you were tired."

"I really just wanted to get away from my family. In case you haven't noticed, they're nuts."

"No, I've noticed."

Katara reached for her phone before she sat upright. She pulled up the questions on the website she had found before she looked down at Zuko.

"You can come up here," Katara said shyly. "Might be a little more comfortable."

His eyes widened fractionally for a moment. "Oh, yeah. Okay."

"But leave the fucking Baby Maker down there."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Zuko stood up. Katara scooted over on the bed and Zuko sat down beside her. They adjusted the pillows until they were both comfortable, and then Katara began to scroll through the list.

"So, the good news is that I already know most of these about you," Katara remarked. "And you know some about me, but not enough."

Zuko frowned as he leaned closer to look at her phone screen. "How do you know all of this about me?"

"You'd be surprised at how much random knowledge I've amassed just being your assistant." Katara shrugged. "Honestly, if this is how they test if people are lying or not, they're not trying very hard."

Zuko read one of the questions. "What am I allergic to?"

"Pine nuts," Katara answered readily.

Zuko read the next question and scowled. "I guess the scar question is kind of obvious, isn't it?"

Katara's eyes quickly flickered over his face. "Yeah...but y'know, I'm pretty sure you have a tattoo."

Zuko quirked his brow as the corner of his lips turned up. "Oh, you're pretty sure?"

"Pretty sure. Six months ago, your dermatologist called and asked about a Q-switched laser. So naturally, I Googled Q-switched laser and found that they do, in fact, remove tattoos. But you cancelled your appointment." She eyed him. "So what is it? Tribal ink? Barbed wire? Something you got after a drunk night of partying in college and regretted?"

Zuko snorted out a laugh. "Ah, no, none of the above." He let out a breath. "It's a...phoenix. I got it to...as a fuck-you to my dad. To show that I'm not him. That I can rise from the ashes." He looked away from her. "Agni, that sounds really stupid to say out loud."

Katara looked at him and gave him a soft smile. "No, it's not stupid. I think that's a great reason to get a tattoo. Cathartic, even."

"Thanks." He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Do you have any tattoos?"

"Nope. This is a blank canvas." Katara pursed her lips. "I've always wanted one, but I'm a little scared. Do they hurt?"

Zuko shrugged. "Depends on where you get it."

"Where's your phoenix?"

"On my ribs."

"Did it hurt?"

Zuko grinned. "Like a son of a bitch." He appraised her, his eyes falling on the shape of her legs beneath the quilt. "But I hear thighs aren't so bad."

"Let's move on to the next question." Katara settled deeper into the pillows as she blushed.

"Are there a lot of questions?"

Katara arched her brow at him. "Why? Do you have anything better to do?"

Zuko let out a dramatic sigh and tucked one hand behind his head. "Nope. Let's do this."