Content Warning: Brief mention of non-graphic police violence. This content will be marked the paragraph beforehand.

(Take care of yourselves, everyone)

Katara walked out of Ember Island theater buzzing with energy, wishing for a pool to throw herself into and run through a couple of laps to cool off. The dirt path was dry after a week without rain, and each footfall left a miniature storm of dust in its wake. As she pounded past the stream of theatergoers around her, Katara reflected that it would have been better if she hadn't known the source of her current unrest. Then at least she could think about something, or even just someone else.

She knew it was because that aggravating boy chose to sit next to her in the theater, and because it was a packed house and the benches were too small, only mere centimeters separated them during the entire two hour play. It was because several times over the course of the show their arms had brushed and Katara was instantly frozen to the spot, but every time she chanced a glance over at Zuko he looked utterly unaffected. Because she had kept count of each time a shift in position or a lean forward had created the slightest amount of contact between their bodies, and yet she still couldn't figure out if he had chosen that seat purposefully or on a whim. Between that and Aang and Toph's running commentary about if actors' voices fit their personas, Katara was lucky to have been able to follow the wildly shifting thread of the plot.

It's really rude, that's what it is! He's just trying to play mind games with me, because of what happened yesterday. But Katara, why are you letting him? Snap out of it!

As if on cue, a hand appeared in front of her face and two fingers rapidly slid against each other to create that characteristic punctuating sound. "Hey, anybody there?"

"What?" Katara asked, startled out of her thoughts mid-stride. Okay, note to self: walking faster doesn't help when he has longer legs than you…

"I said, what did you think of the show? I brought you guys to this one because I knew that at least one other person knew the story." He paused, looking back at their companions casually ambling through the tree-lined path. "Although judging from the comments being made, I think it really was only one."

Okay, so he was just making conversation. Katara could deal with just conversation, so long as it didn't veer into any other uncomfortable topics. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't make him just a little uncomfortable…

"You know, I told you the first time we talked about this series that none of my friends have read it! Were you even listening to me back then?"

At least he had the decency to look sheepish. "Now that you mention it, I do remember you saying something like that."

Katara huffed, but moved on to answer Zuko's question. "Yeah, I was really excited to see a stage adaptation of the Ratava stories! They made some surprisingly large changes though… like the relationship between Gnaa and Aratak was more one-sided, and Okuz became the love interest instead. I feel like this show was meant more for comedic purposes than to really convey the spirit of the story, which I'm a little disappointed by. But it was interesting to see how interactive the show was and the amount of audience participation, which also really changes the whole dynamic. I wonder if they also tweak things based on the live audience feedback? In that case, it would be much more of a living story than a static one, which could explain a lot of the differences." She paused to take a breath, laughing at Zuko's flustered expression. "Well, you wanted to know what I thought, didn't you?"

He blinked a few times in rapid succession. "Um, I wasn't expecting a whole essay, but that is an interesting take. If I may propose the next paragraph…" he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Smiling, Katara gestured for him to go ahead.

"The Ember Island Players tend to this more "popular" approach with many of their traditional stories, which is to be expected given their historical context –a difficult time when those in power wanted to keep the masses entertained and docile. However, this is the first time I've seen their approach play out against a modern backdrop. I'd say that they've found, through trial and error, that certain plot points are just more appealing than others." He warmed to his topic, and began to talk with fervor.

"For instance, with your example the director probably realized that Okuz and Atarak is simply a more exciting pairing than the original one. They're opposites in so many ways, but they also have shared experiences that bring them together, like their thorny parental relationships. What they differ in attracts them to each other, and what they have in common deepens the bond."

Now it was Katara's turn to be shocked. "Zuko, when you said you had opinions about Gnaa and Atarak's relationship, you weren't lying!" She elbowed him, forgetting her previous sensitivity to physical proximity. "And I never knew you were such a romantic, too! You've given this pairing quite some thought, haven't you?"

To Zuko's credit, he was able to maintain a straight face. "As far as I can see, my conclusions are only natural, and they are further supported by the performance shaped by popular opinion we saw today. As for being a romantic…"

He glanced down at her, and Katara noticed how the last golden rays of sunshine pooled and danced on his cheeks, and how they were reflected in his smiling eyes. Zuko's raspy voice turned soft as he finished, "…that depends on who it's for."

Just a few simple words, just a flick of the eyes in her direction, and Katara was thrown into a new sea of confusion.

Don't blush, don't blush, don't blush. We're not letting him win that easily! Those were the words she repeated to herself, but it was harder to make good on them. She tried to force down the rising color on her cheeks, knowing it was a lost cause. Damm that stupid bet!

Beside her, Zuko chuckled, and she knew he had noticed. Of course he had noticed; he had been trying to get this reaction all day.

"So that makes, what, two today?" He counted on his fingers, pretending to be deep in thought. "And only one more to go…"

She glanced up, and regretted it as soon as she saw his wicked grin. Zuko looked very pleased with himself, and the expression hardly wavered even when she threw a hard punch at his shoulder.

"Yeah, whatever," she said, but Katara was irritated with herself for falling into his trap so easily. She had tried to avoid uncomfortable topics, then steered the ship precisely in that direction. Now, when she couldn't figure out where to go next.

Zuko looked over, brows slightly furrowed. He seemed about to say something, but before a single word had the chance to escape his mouth, they were knocked out of the way by Sokka's a little too friendly back thump.

"Ýo!" he shouted, running up from behind and looping an arm around each of their shoulders. "What are you two nerds talking about? I'll be honest, I didn't really follow the plot of that show, but I definitely know who my favorite character is! Akkos, the magnificent boomerang throwing beast! Wasn't he incredible?"

Normally Katara would have been annoyed at her brother's antics, but now she was just relieved. "Right, of course you would feel a connection to the jokester of their group," she easily slid into his banter.

"I guess, you did always say that I reminded you of him… but I'm much handsomer." That last comment was directed back at Suki, who had by now caught up, along with the rest of the group.

She laughed in reply, and Sokka untangled himself from Katara and Zuko to receive a peck on the cheek. "You're such an idiot," Suki said fondly, and her boyfriend beamed in response.

Back at the house, the Gang caught the last of the sunset, standing outside on the beach until the sun's crown slipped under the horizon and the pink-lit clouds faded into blue. As the light receded and the sky turned dark, their faces grew contemplative, and they headed inside to the living room, unloading their bags and keys in the opening hallway. In the center of the living room, two small but plump couches with thick velvet upholstery faced each other across a low table, along with a few scattered ottomans. An ornate rug carpeted the floor and muffled their footsteps, and Katara amused herself by following the winding wheat-colored vines through the red background.

As they found seats, Sokka and Suki bundled together while Katara purposefully sat as far as possible from her aggravating friend, Aang retrieved his laptop from his room. They had had a fun day, but now it was time to get to work.

When he returned, his normally cheerful face was serious, and his voice deliberate. "As you all remember, several weeks ago I sent out a request for information about Ba Sing Se students' experiences with the Dai Li. I think the message reached a decent amount of the student population, but of course it's hard to tell exactly. The good news is that we've received a lot of replies which have very… revealing information. Everyone is anonymous, and I've collected their responses in this document."

"I hate to even ask, but I'm assuming there's bad news as well?" Zuko said, rubbing the back of his head.

In response, Aang gestured towards his computer and turned it around to face his friends, who clustered around the screen. Only Toph stayed leaning back on the sofa, knowing that she would get a verbal summary once everyone was finished. "I'm afraid this is the bad news."

For several long minutes, only the faint buzzing of electricity intruded upon the quiet of the room. They read, and their eyes grew heavy with the weight of the words. Some passages were skimmed through, others were reread twice or more. As each person finished the last testimony, they retreated away from the computer and sat in silence. Their festive mood of earlier slowly dimmed, and the air hung thick with dark musings.

"So it's worse than we thought," Katara said, summing up what was on everyone's mind. She turned to Toph, who by now was also on high alert.

"Hm, how do we explain this?" She sighed, twisting a strand of hair around her fingers into tightly coiled loops. "There's a few different main categories of responses. For instance, one subset of people don't really have anything negative to say about the Dai Li. They may be neutral, or they may have a positive perception of them after general interactions or an incident where calling campus po was helpful. That might be, hm, fifteen to twenty percent?"

"I'd say fifteen," Suki said, nodding.

[Content warning: Mention of non-graphic police violence]

"Right, ok. So something like that. And the other eighty percent or so had a negative experience to varying degrees. Most of it has to do with the Dai Li coming in and escalating an already bad situation. For instance, there were several incidents when students called the campus police for themselves or their friends in a dangerous health situation, physically or mentally. And in these testimonies, when they come, they belittle students, negate their feelings, and handle them roughly. Excessively so." Katara paused and took a breath. She had been trying to relay this information in a detached, clinical way, but it hurt to think about what her fellow students had experienced.

Sensing that Katara was struggling to come up with the right words, Sokka gently wrapped an arm around his sister and continued explaining. "In more than one case, this treatment has led students into panic attacks, and led them to regret calling for help in the first place. And avoid doing so in future crises, which obviously has a ton of negative consequences. Of course, there are also many incidents where the Dai Li weren't even called, or were called for some other concern, but involved themselves anyway. This ranged from being verbally harassed for no good reason, to one instance when a student was restrained and forcibly led out of their dorm room in handcuffs. For no good reason. And… basically, there's a lot more stories in this vein. It's a widespread problem."

"Widespread, and serious," Aang added. "The Dai Li have caused a lot of damage to some of our classmates, and it seems like they're running unchecked."

After that, they all paused for a moment, processing the uncomfortable and bitter truths. Although the Gang had their share of encounters with the Dai Li, they had never experienced harassment at the level of what their peers were describing, and so the stories were shocking. Their worries were in one fell swoop both confirmed and magnified.

"So I guess we're all agreed," Toph said slowly, "that this is unacceptable and we need to take down the Dai Li immediately? Or… or… take away their power, or something!" She thumped her fist into the nearest pillow.

"Yes," Aang replied. "I think we're all agreed in that regard. The question now is, what can we do?"

Suki shook her head, obviously distressed. "I just can't believe I didn't know that all this was happening. We've been lucky to mostly avoid contact so far, and also that they're scared of Toph." This last comment elicited a satisfied smirk from the girl in question.

"Ha, I think we were too busy dealing with those Phoenix Rising goons last year to pay attention to the Dai Li," Sokka said, waving his arms to pantomime the crazy series of events. Remembering the current company, he quickly added, "No offense, Zuko."

"None taken," the Phoenix Rising scion responded. "But uh, guys… I'm afraid I have more bad news. Do you remember what Yon Rha said about Long Feng and the Dai Li?"klkl He asked, inclining his head at Katara.

"That they were working together, and up to something. Along with… Azula."

"Yeah. So I'm not exactly on speaking terms with my sister right now, but I know she has some kind of relationship with the Dai Li or power over them. I mean, she used to be head of the student police division, but now it seems like more than that-"

"Wait, wait, Long Feng the professor?" Sokka interrupted, sitting up very straight. "You guys know he was recently made dean of student security, right?"

"What?" Katara and Zuko exclaimed together, locking startled gazes.

"Oh, that is not good news," she said. "Maybe that'swhy he's been cancelling classes recently. Is it official?"

"Yeah, I think so," Sokka nodded. "I saw an email announcing it this morning, but I forgot why that name sounded familiar. If I'm remembering correctly, he now directly oversees the campus police."

Suki quickly drew out her phone and confirmed the news. "We are excited to announce a new position for Dean of Student Affairs and Security," she read aloud. "After much deliberation with the Dai Li leadership and Professor Long Feng, we decided this position was necessary to protect the safety of our student community from our recent uptick in crime rates. As an instrumental player in this conversation, Professor Feng will now serve as the first dean of security, and he looks forward to working with the Dai Li and further interactions with Ba Sing Se students. The confirmation ceremony will take place at the end of Spring Break, before the resumption of classes." At the conclusion of the email, Suki shut off her phone and threw it across the sofa. "Dammit."

"Yikes," Zuko agreed. "And I'm pretty sure this is just the first step. They've got something else coming. I don't have anything concrete, but Azula's been quiet lately, and that's usually not a good sign."

"It's all so sudden," Aang said, scratching his head. "Did you guys know that there's been increased crime lately? Because I haven't heard anything about it." As he looked around his circle of friends, everyone shook their heads.

"Yeah, it's definitely a little weird," Katara said. "We have been pretty focused on exams recently, though, so it's possible that it just escaped our notice. Administration couldn't create a new position based entirely out of fabricated evidence, right?"

A few tentative head nods greeted this proposition, but Toph had other ideas. "I wouldn't put it past them. Just think about it –who are the people in charge of reporting crime rates? Who are the ones with direct access to all the evidence?"

"The Dai Li," Sokka answered, catching onto her idea.

"Exactly. And we already know they're good-for-nothing jerks, so I wouldn't be surprised if this "recent uptick in crime" is their doing. I've got a feeling about this one." She crossed her arms and frowned, looking just like the detectives on the hunt from one of Katara's favorite shows.

Only now, everything was happening in real life. In her life. Katara had experience dealing with overconfident and excessively armed men beyond the law, but now they were up against overconfident and excessively armed men who were the law. And it was also connected to the scarier branches of Zuko's family? Katara felt tired, frustrated, and angry all at the same time.

A tense discussion began, with Katara arguing that they needed more evidence before jumping to such claims, and Toph retorting that if she had any ideas on how to gather it, to please let them know. Aang jumped in to moderate, while Suki and Zuko sat back to let him try. Meanwhile, Sokka stepped out into the hallway to take a call, and returned just when things were starting to cool down.

"Fine," Toph grumbled. "I guess you may have a point. Evidence is important if we're going to tell anyone, but I still think I'm right about this." She was about to say more, but then her attention was redirected to Sokka's entrance and the wafting smell of fresh baked dough. "Is that… pizza?"

"You betcha!" He set down the small tower of square shaped boxes onto the low table, effectively halting the conversation for the time being. "I know figuring out this Dai Li stuff is really important, but it's also like eight thirty and I can't think when I'm starving, so I went ahead and ordered these while we were talking." He whisked out the included paper plates and napkins, and opened the first box. "Hope you guys don't mind if we take a break for dinner?"

Faced with the sight and scent of handmade deep-dish pizza covered in various toppings and oodles of melted cheese, several members of the Gang suddenly realized that they were starving as well. Aang proposed that they resume the discussion tomorrow after spending some time thinking over what they had learned individually, and his resolution was heartily approved.

"Thank you, Sokka," Katara said, eyeing a particularly delicious looking slice of cheese pizza. "We can always count on you to take care of our stomachs."

Despite his assertions that, really, it was nothing, Sokka was pleased enough by the chorus of gratitude that he performed several flourishing bows, all while chewing rapidly so as not to lose a moment of precious eating time. Eventually the conversation turned to lighter topics, and once dinner was devoured and the boxes left empty, the friends sat around and chatted for a bit, then drifted off individually or in pairs to their own thoughts. In the end only Katara and Zuko were left, as they had volunteered to clean up the table.

For a while they worked in a comfortable silence, Katara collecting the plates and closing the boxes while Zuko wiped away any stray bits of tomato sauce or leftover strings of cheese. Both of them felt it was nice to just be quiet for a while, after the recent emotionally charged discussions, and soon enough the seating area was left even neater than it had been originally. Katara was strangely uneager to leave, and stalled for time while pretending to check for any last spots to clean. Meanwhile Zuko also returned for purportedly the same purpose after switching off the main overhead light. Only the soft glow of the standing lamp remained as they fastidiously examined the wooden table, waiting. Then, at the same moment, both began to speak.

"So that really was something –oh"

"Well, I guess that's it –"

Zuko stopped and gestured for her to go ahead.

Of course soon as it's just the two of you again, things get awkward, she thought. "Oh, I was just saying that that wasn't how I thought our day was going to end, but here we are!"

The words rang falsely cheery in her ears and she cringed, but Zuko only nodded.

"Yeah." He sighed, tilting his head so that the lamplight cast jagged shadows over his face. "Not really how I thought this break was going to go, but I guess you really can't run away from family… I should have known better." His fists clenched. "Just when things are starting to change, I should have realized something bad was coming."

Katara moved closer, sensing the turbulence under his controlled expression. "Zuko, just so you know, none of us blame you for what's happening. I mean, right now we're not even sure what is happening."

Zuko folded his arms and didn't reply immediately, instead looking off into the darkness. He held his body as tight as a spring coil, but she could see his chest rising and falling as he took several deep breaths. Standing there watching in what felt like a private moment, Katara wondered if she should press further or just let him be.

Just when she was about to leave, he turned back to her and smiled, some of that tension gone, or perhaps just held off to the side. What he said next caught her completely off guard. "You know, I really thought I could win that bet of ours. But now doesn't really feel like the right time to tease you, so I guess you win."

For a moment Katara stared at him in confusion, but then her brain caught up and relived the events of the night before: the totally hilarious but relatively wholesome game of Truth or Dare, at least until Toph got the brilliant idea to create a series of bets between themselves. They didn't have a bottle, so Katara used her favorite fountain pen instead to create a 'Spin the Bottle' type situation, except without the bottle and the kissing. Of course, her once-trusty fountain pen ended up creating a bet between her and Zuko, which had led to her current predicament…

What's something that you don't normally do? Or, something where it's hard to get you to do it? He had asked, with an intent look in his eyes, and it had felt like all his attention was on her and he really cared about the answer.

Oh, I don't know… a lot of things? Um, I don't really like running, I guess I don't travel that often but I do want to, I hate fizzy drinks and um… I don't blush a lot? As soon as those last words left her mouth, Katara had wished she could reach out and snatch them back. Where had that even come from? This wasn't something she normally thought about!

But an interested look had flashed over Zuko's face, and he went with it. Despite her protests, he had managed to wrangle a bet out of her that he could make her blush three times the next day. The rest of the Gang had thought it was hilarious, while Katara just wanted to crawl into a hole.

And now, he had in fact raised two blushes out of her, once over breakfast and again after the play, and Katara was realizing that somehow her normal defenses didn't work against those sharp cheekbones and dark amber eyes. In her first year Katara had experienced an immediate crush on the handsome and rebellious Jet, but this felt different. It felt like Zuko understood her in ways that sometimes even her friends didn't, and when he gave her that intense look, her heart started thumping louder for no clear reason. Was she just imagining this, or was it something real?

"Oh, right, the bet," she managed to choke out. "Um, we never actually came up with the stakes for this bet, did we?"

He stood in the same still stance, but seemed amused as he answered, "No, I guess we did not." Then it was his turn to leave the circle of light and take a step closer to her. "I'm sure you're feeling stressed right now," he said, his voice soft and inquisitive. "So tell me, what can I do that would make you feel better?"

Oh my goodness oh my goodness oh my goodness. Katara's brain went into overdrive. Well there are a lot of things, but…

"Honestly, I could really use a hug right now." Is that stupid is that a stupid thing to say oh my goodness what I am I doing –

And then warm arms surrounded her and Katara melted a little bit because really, after her dumb mouth blurted that out she realized that she had just wanted a hug and this was turning out to be quite a pleasant experience. The first thing she noticed was that Zuko's whole body was warm, and his shoulder provided such a nice spot to rest her head and just relax for a while. She half expected him to let go and step away after a few moments passed, but he didn't. Instead, his arms wrapped her tighter and Katara felt a wave of security sweep over her.

She didn't know how long they stood like that in the semi-darkness, but when they did break apart Katara found that all the tension had left her body, and her head felt slightly fuzzy.

"I, ahem, I hope that helped," Zuko said, stumbling over his words. He looked suddenly hesitant and distanced himself from Katara, taking that lovely warmth with him.

"Yes, it did," Katara replied softly, unsure of where to look. "Thanks."

"Great! I'm glad." He rubbed the back of his head, then seemed to catch himself and thrust his hands into his pockets. "Well, I'm probably gonna go back to my room now, so uh, have a good night!"

Almost before she could wave goodbye, he strode out of the room and left her with the solitary light illuminating the now-empty sofas. Illuminating the scene of the crime, her brain supplied, and she felt the urge to laugh.

Really, what a day it had been! She walked over to the lamp and turned it off, waiting for her eyes to adjust to moonlight before padding out of the living room. She flicked on a switch and creaked her way up the old stairs, and rounded a corner to her bedroom. As she passed Zuko's door, she couldn't help but smile.

It wasn't a crime by any means, but Katara knew she would never tell Zuko that he had actually won the bet.

A/N: All she wanted was a hug!

Wow, y'all, it's been a while. If you've been reading this story regularly prior to my unexpectedly long hiatus, thank you so much for your patience! I've finally found the time/motivation to write again, and I truly appreciate the time you spend reading here.

We're getting into some heavier topics, and unfortunately all the stories that Katara and Sokka related were pulled from real life. I'm still not sure what the resolution to this will be :/

A few of my notes while writing this story late at night:

'What's happening

Zuko says oh, it worse

They like, what we gonna do?'

So… that's before the polishing. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, positive or constructive! Have a lovely rest of your day 😊