Chapter 8: Windows

Do we really know the way the wind blows?

Are we really safe around our shadows?

Do we really know the way the wind blows

Through our windows?

"Windows" by AWOLNation

They finished up shortly before their time in the study room was up. They had found a topic they could both agree on—an upcoming hearing on women's rights in the North Pole—and had gotten well into writing their speech and report. Katara still didn't like this topic as much as she did the one about Sozin's Corp, but at least Zuko wasn't angry with her anymore.

She also had to admit that he was good at writing. He had a way with words that she didn't, which was a surprise considering he wasn't much of a talker. Katara was certain they were going to get a good grade on this project, mostly because of him.

When they were done, they packed up their things and went back down to the desk. Zuko signed them out, and then they stepped outside into the warm sunshine of a beautiful mid-September day.

Zuko stopped just outside of the library and looked down at Katara. His brow was creased a bit. "I guess you still want that explanation, huh?"

"Definitely." Katara nodded. "You said you would."

He let out a sigh as his eyes combed over the campus grounds. "You wanna go for a drive? I kind of want to get out of here for a while."

"Uh, sure."

Katara looked up at him. The day just kept getting more interesting. What was so bad about this topic that he felt the need to leave campus to tell her about it? She was dying to know.

He spun on his heel and started down the sidewalk. "My dorm is this way."

Katara and Zuko walked across the campus. His dorm was nearly on the other side, almost completely opposite of hers. She noticed that he kept pace with her instead of loping ahead as he usually did.

"So, if your uncle lives here in the city, why don't you just live with him instead of paying for on-campus housing?" Katara asked while they walked.

Zuko pulled a face like he had just eaten something sour. "Well, I was living with my uncle, before college. I was planning on staying there too, but he thought living on-campus would be a 'humbling' experience." He rolled his eyes. "He just about kicked me out of the house."

Katara arched a brow at him, an amused smile pulling at her lips. "Hm, I don't think it's working. You don't seem humbled at all."

Zuko scowled down at her. Then he looked back up again. "I might move back off-campus after this semester. Assuming I can talk my uncle into it. My roommate is a complete loser."

"Aw, but if you do that, who will give me rides home from work?"

Katara had meant it as a joke, but Zuko quietly said, "I'll still bring you home."

Katara smiled at him. She was suddenly glad she hadn't picked a fight with him. This Zuko was much more amiable than the one who'd exploded at the library. She was glad she hadn't left him there.

Once they had settled into a routine back at the library, the work had flowed easily, even if his method was a bit odd: he tended to work alone, until he had an idea he could ingratiate into the speech, or until he'd typed up enough to show her. But as time went on, she had become used to it, and they had actually ended up working pretty well together, which was surprising, given their rocky start. The afternoon was turning into something that was almost...nice. Even if her curiosity was burning her up inside.

It surprised her how much the study session had warped her perspective of him. It seemed that every time she was with him, he showed her another side of him. Whether he meant to or not, he was keeping her on her toes. She never knew what to expect. And seeing as how Zuko was one of the few people she actually talked to regularly on campus, she realized that she liked learning new things about him.

He gestured to the building. "You mind if I drop my stuff off before we head out?"

Katara shook her head. "No, no problem."

She wasn't going to assume that he was going to invite her up to his dorm room, but a small part of her hoped. Bedrooms said a lot about people, and she was interested to see what his room had to say about him.

But when Zuko strode up to the door and held it open for her, she took it as her invitation, and Katara stepped over the threshold into his dorm building. It wasn't much different from the girls' dorm, but it had a distinctive male scent to it. The common area was almost identical, and even the monitor's desk was practically the same.

Zuko led the way over to the elevator bank and pressed the button to go up. Katara stood beside him and crossed her arms over her chest. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't think of anything. A few moments later it opened and a group of guys came pouring out.

One of them saw Zuko and grinned, nodding in greeting, before he saw Katara. He gave her an appreciative once-over before looking back at Zuko with a lewd grin on his face.

"Way to go, Zuko! Put a sock on the door, would ya?" He thumped Zuko's shoulder as he brushed past them, and Zuko recoiled with a scowl.

Katara felt the heat rise in her cheeks and she fixed him with an icy glare. He didn't get the message. Why were guys so crude?

"Watch your mouth, Chan," Zuko snapped, bristling.

But Chan just jeered. "Have fun!"

Zuko stomped into the elevator and Katara squeezed past the leering guys to stand beside him, her cheeks burning. She caught sight of the sexual gestures Chan and the others were making just before the elevator doors slid shut.

"Oh hell no!" Katara jammed her finger on the 'open doors' button repeatedly, her mouth pressed into an angry line. But the elevator was already moving up.

Zuko raised his brow at her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going back down there to teach that jerk-face a lesson! Just wait 'til I get my hands on him—" She was disgusted and angry, but her words were cut short by Zuko.

"Forget about him. He's a loser." Zuko placed his hand on her shoulder and gently tugged her away from the panel. She could feel the warmth of his hand through her shirt, and suddenly he had her full attention. "Trust me, he won't learn anything by it either. Guys like that never do." Katara turned her face up to him, and Zuko huffed out a breath. "Sorry about that. I didn't think he'd be here, or else I wouldn't have bothered to stop by."

Katara deflated. Zuko was probably right. She leaned against the wall beside him. "It's fine. It's not your fault."

"That was a perfect example of why I'm seriously considering moving out," Zuko muttered. "Chan is a pig."

Katara looked up at him. His head was leaned back against the wall of the elevator and he was studying the ceiling as if it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen. His unscarred cheek was flushed, and his brows were furrowed.

"So, that's your roommate." Katara snorted. "I can see why you want to leave." She didn't want that encounter to ruin the decent mood he had been in, so she nudged him with her elbow. "Well, I don't have a roommate. You're welcome to come hang out with me any time."

Realizing what she said, a blush rose in her cheeks again as her eyes went wide. Way to go, Katara! Why don't you just invite every boy you meet into your dorm at the same time and have a slumber party!

"I mean, if he's being a jerk or whatever," she amended quickly.

Zuko cleared his throat. His good cheek had taken on a pink hue. "Uh. Thanks."

She was saved from any further embarrassment when the elevator doors slid open. Zuko stepped out into the hallway like he couldn't get out of there fast enough, and Katara took a moment to face-palm herself behind his back before she followed him. Why was she such a dork?

Zuko led the way down to his dorm room, fishing his keys out of his front pocket as he did. Katara noted that his dorm room number was 303.

As he stuck the key in the lock he looked back over his shoulder at Katara. He made a face. "Consider this a fair warning: it is not pretty in here. Chan is also a slob. Just one more reason I want to move out."

"He can't be any worse than my brother," Katara muttered drily.

"We'll see about that."

Zuko opened the door, and Katara was immediately able to tell which side of the room belonged to Zuko, and which side belonged to Chan.

One side was littered with dirty clothes, empty wrappers, and discarded energy drink cans. Textbooks were spread across the disorganized desk, and the bed was unmade, with the duvet trailing onto the litter-covered floor.

"Okay, maybe he is worse than my brother," Katara conceded as she took in the mess. "Classes haven't even been in session for two weeks. How does someone make this big of a mess?"

"I have no idea."

Katara took in Zuko's side of the room. The bed was neatly made and covered in a black duvet. The desktop was almost clear except for a finance textbook that sat on one corner. The shelves were filled with orderly rows of books, and supplies were neatly organized in the cubby. Shoes, mostly sneakers, were lined up at the foot of the bed. The dresser top was clear of everything except for a bottle of cologne.

She couldn't help but notice that there was nothing that personalized the space: no family pictures or knick knacks. There wasn't even a poster on the wall. His room didn't reveal anything about him at all.

"I stand corrected. This is definitely humbling," Katara remarked drily. She stepped over to Zuko's side, where the floor was clean. Under the slight odor emanating from the other side of the room, she could smell Zuko's cologne. "I can see why you're strongly debating on moving out."

Zuko hung his backpack from the back of his desk chair. He turned to her with a grimace. "Yeah. Hence, I'm hardly ever here. Come on."

Katara followed Zuko back out into the hallway. He locked the door before he headed back toward the elevator.

"Must be nice, not having a roommate," Zuko remarked as he pushed the button to go down.

Katara glanced at him from the corner of her eye, but his eyes were trained on the elevator door. "It is nice. Not that I've had a bad experience with roommates. I actually really liked my roommate last year and we became best friends. She's dating my brother now."

The elevator door opened and she and Zuko stepped inside. He looked down at her as he pressed the button. "Does that make it awkward for you at all?"

"No." Katara shrugged her shoulders. "They're really sweet together."

Zuko nodded slowly, as if he was digesting that. Then he said, "That's kinda funny. I dated my sister's roommate." He rubbed the back of his neck. "That...did not go over well."

Katara glanced up at him, surprised. That was the most he had revealed about himself to her. Katara took a quiet breath as she considered how to respond to that.

Before she could, Zuko, sounding a bit embarrassed, said, "Sorry." As if he had overstepped an unspoken boundary by sharing that.

"No, don't be sorry." Katara hesitated, peeking up at him from beneath her lashes. "It's just that...you don't talk about yourself very often. I guess it just took me by surprise."

"Oh." She saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "I guess I really don't talk about personal stuff that much, do I?"

"Yeah, not really." An awkward tension filled the air and Katara cursed her ineptitude. If she couldn't get a grip, he would probably never open up to her again.

The elevator opened and they stepped out into the lobby of the dorm hall. They crossed the room and Zuko held the door open for her, and she offered a quick thanks. They didn't say anything as they walked out to the parking lot, the awkward silence following them.

His Challenger was unmistakable in the lot. He unlocked it from a distance before he opened the door for her. Katara sat down, but the leather was hot on her bare thighs, exposed by the denim shorts she was wearing.

"Ouch!" Katara yelped as she arched her hips off the seat. "Hot leather!" She jerked forward until her jean shorts protected her from the hot leather.

"Shoot, I'm sorry. I didn't even think about that. Here." Zuko leaned behind her to reach into the backseat. The smell of his cologne washed over her and for a moment she allowed herself to breathe it in. Then he pulled back, a sweatshirt in his hand.

"Thanks," Katara said as she took it from him. Their fingers brushed as she did, and she ignored the chills that went up her arm. She spread the sweatshirt across the seat and lifted herself back onto the seat.

Zuko was watching her with amusement dancing in his eyes. "Better?"

Katara nodded, flushed with embarrassment. She hated leather seats for that exact reason. "Much better. Thanks."

He shut the door before he jogged around the front of the car. He slid into the driver's seat, his dark jeans protecting him from the hot leather. She scowled at him.

Zuko looked over at her, a crooked smirk on his lips. "I'm not gonna lie, that was pretty funny. I've never seen you move so fast."

Katara crossed her arms over her chest, her lip curling into an irritated pout. "That's because you've never seen me in a swimming pool." He gave her a questioning look, and she felt a blush creep into her cheeks again. "Um, I'm on the swim team."

"Ah." The corner of his lips twitched. "The swim team, huh? I'd like to see that sometime."

A pleasant warmth spread over her. She offered him a small smile, certain her blush was only deepening. But then she wondered if he was just joking, and she had misread it. Her smile fell away, but he wasn't looking at her to notice.

He turned the engine over and flicked on the air conditioning. Then he pulled out his phone and connected it to the car's Bluetooth.

"Do you like rap?" Zuko asked her.

Katara glanced over at him. He's full of surprises today. "Rap? I mean, I don't really listen to it. My brother does. But I don't mind it."

"Okay. Well, you seemed to like AWOLNation. I know that's not rap, but they kind of have the same style, instrumental-wise." He shrugged, almost sheepish.

"Let's hear it, then," Katara said with a smile.

Zuko hit "play". An electronic beat with an undertone of guitar notes started to fill the car. It definitely sounded like something Sokka would listen to. Katara bobbed her head to the music.

Zuko shifted the car into reverse. As he went to back out of the spot, he turned in his seat, bracing one hand against the back of her headrest. Katara could smell his cologne again. She liked the way it smelled and she found herself drinking it in. She peeked over at him, her eyes traveling the length of his muscled arm, and settled on the round knot of his Adam's apple. She briefly wondered if the bamboo-and-woodsmoke scent of his cologne would be there too, but she quickly pushed that thought from her mind.

Then Zuko was straight in his seat again, and they were pulling out of the parking lot and heading into the city.

They didn't talk while Zuko drove. The thrum of the bass filled the car and vibrated in Katara's seat. She could tell he had put in custom speakers from the way the bass was concentrated in the backseat. The fingers of her right hand rubbed at the soft material of the sweater underneath her as she watched Ba Sing Se go by. She focused on the rap music, to the words: And I could go all night. I'm sick of being nothing. Alright, I'm gonna be something. I'll fight with every breath. Trust me. She decided that she liked this too.

"Who is this?" Katara asked as they drove past the road that would take them to the Jasmine Dragon. She wondered where they were going, but she wasn't sure Zuko had a destination in mind. He had just said he wanted to go for a drive.

"NEFFEX," Zuko answered. "They're still kind of underground, but they're gaining some traction. Do you like it?" He glanced over at her, and Katara saw worry flash briefly over his face. "I can change it, if you don't."

"No, I like it." She gave him a reassuring smile. "In fact, I'll probably have to introduce them to my brother, if he doesn't already listen to them." She looked at the screen on the dashboard. "'Dangerous', hm? I'm definitely sending him the link."

She looked back at Zuko just in time to see a pleased smile dance across his face. His thumbs drummed against the steering wheel, and Katara couldn't help but smile.

Zuko drove further into the Lower Tier. Katara stole glances at him whenever she thought he wouldn't catch her. He is attractive, she told herself reluctantly as she studied him. He exuded a quiet sort of confidence that she found she liked. She liked the way he held himself, with one wrist draped over the top of the steering column while the fingers of his left hand gripped the bottom of the wheel. He was leaned back in his seat, legs splayed comfortably, one sneakered foot on the gas pedal. And his face...well, that was appealing too, with his strong jawline, high cheekbones, and sharp nose.

Her dream flashed through her mind and Katara crossed her legs as she forced the images from her brain. We do not need to think about that right now. Nope. Nope nope nope.

For a moment she hated Suki for even suggesting she give Zuko a chance. But Katara couldn't hold it against her, because she had wanted to get to know him too. He was an enigma, a puzzle she wanted to solve. She wanted to figure him out. She wanted to know why he was so closed-off, how he had gotten his scar. She didn't plan on falling for him or anything like that. But since they were going to be around each other for the foreseeable future, with their shared class and their job, Katara thought there was no harm in trying to figure him out.

"Hm?" She realized he had said something she didn't hear.

"I asked if you'd been to the top of the wall yet."

Katara looked out of the windshield and realized they were driving toward the inner wall that surrounded the city and separated it from the rolling farmlands between the inner and outer walls.

"Oh." Katara leaned forward in her seat and peered up at the wall. It was high enough to block out the early afternoon sun. "No, I haven't."

"Want to?"

Katara looked over at him. There was a small, excited smile on his face.

She grinned back at him. The wall was the biggest tourist attraction in the city. She had been wanting to go since she got to Ba Sing Se, but she had never had the time. "Definitely."