Day 1: Momtara and Dadko

i'm just a kid and life is a nightmare

Katara came out of her tent and promptly sneezed three times. Zuko looked up from where he sat near the fire, his brow creasing. He'd thought she hadn't looked so well last night after they had gotten back from Whale Tail Island, but seeing her now, it was obvious that she'd come down with something. Probably from the storm.

She joined him by the fire, her eyes still half-closed, sniffling and sounding very congested. Zuko watched her, wondering if he should say anything. Usually, the first thing Katara did was start breakfast, but today she just sat there.

"Are...you feeling okay?" Zuko asked her hesitantly.

She lifted her head to look at him, and he could see how tired she was by how deep the shadows beneath her eyes were.

"Huh?" she asked him, sounding very congested indeed.

"I think you've caught a cold, Katara," Zuko told her. "Maybe you should go back to bed and get some rest."

She huffed out a breath and immediately began to cough, covering her mouth with the crook of her elbow. When she recovered, she gave him a grating look that would've been a lot more intimidating if her eyes and nose weren't running.

"I'm fine," Katara insisted, sniffling again. "Besides, if I go to bed, who's gonna make breakfast? Who's gonna get Sokka up to go hunting? Who's gonna make sure Aang gets his practice in?"

"I'll do it," Zuko found himself volunteering.

"You?" Katara looked at him incredulously.

Zuko shrugged, feeling heat rise in his cheeks. "Why not me? Why do you always have to do everything?"

Katara opened her mouth as if to speak, but then she shut it again. Zuko went on.

"Besides, if you're not feeling good, you need to rest," he insisted, his voice soft and kind. He knew the waterbender didn't like being told what to do. "You've had a hard couple of days."

She stared into the fire for a moment then. "Yeah…"

"I can handle them for a day," Zuko said confidently.

She quirked her brow at him. "It's not just them. There's laundry to do and clothes to be mended and dinner to be made, and you have to make sure Toph doesn't blow something up, and you have to keep them all alive. It's not that easy."

Zuko crossed his arms over his chest and gave her what he hoped was a stern look. "I ran my own crew and ship for almost three years. I'm sure I can handle a couple of kids. And the chores won't be a problem, either."

Kataara stared at him, considering his statement carefully. "Well, alright…" She stood up and turned to go back to her tent. But then she looked back at him. "Wake me up if you need anything?"

"I won't."

"But if you do—"

He gave her a half-smile. "Get some rest, Katara."

She offered him a small smile. "Thanks, Zuko."

She sighed before she went back into her tent. Zuko set about making breakfast, totally and completely confident that he would be able to handle the others for one day.

It was chaos. Pure, unadulterated chaos. Zuko was ready to either rip his hair out or commit mass murder by lunchtime, when Toph pitched a fit about the legumes in her rice, after she had spent the last hour moaning about how she was going to starve to death.

And it only got worse. Aang, terrified by Toph's bad mood, had run off, and Zuko couldn't even go looking for him because Sokka was coming up with some hair-brained scheme to make gutting fish easier by rigging Zuko's dao swords to some sort of contraption he'd built, so he'd had to stop him before someone lost a finger (and he ruined all of the fish Suki had caught).

Then he'd had to rewash all of the clothes he'd scrubbed in the river that morning after training Aang (which had been an even worse task than usual, as Aang was more interested in making figures in the flames than actually practicing forms) because Toph splashed mud all over them when she was bullying—er, training—him.

Whenever he could, Zuko checked in on Katara. Most of the time she was dozing, snoring loudly. He could hear the congestion in her chest with each breath, and he made sure to bring her lunch, and tea throughout the day.

Aang had finally come back shortly before dinner, absolutely filthy and covered in scratches and thorns, his clothes shredded. So Zuko had to use what Sokka had obnoxiously dubbed his "dad voice" to make Aang sit still so he could pick out the thorns and then mend his clothes while Aang washed up.

Dinner was worse, because Sokka's stupid invention had ruined most of the fish, and everyone grumbled about how their soup was more rice and vegetables and not enough fish (except Aang, of course).

Zuko had finally had it when Sokka whined, "Man, Katara could've at least made this edible!"

Zuko jumped to his feet, smoke practically curling out of his nostrils, and jabbed an angry finger in Sokka's direction.

"You are all terrible, whiny ungrateful babies! Do you have any idea how spoiled and obnoxious you all are?" Zuko roared, flames crackling in his palms.

"We're fugitives living on the road," Toph snorted. "I'd hardly call that spoiled." She pointed her thumb in her direction. "I know what spoiled is."

Flames now extinguished, Zuko wheeled on her. "No, you're spoiled! When's the last time any of you did a chore? Washed a dish? Mended one of Sokka's smelly socks?"

No one answered, so Zuko went on.

"You guys don't cook or clean up after yourselves," Zuko spat. "Katara does everything for you guys, and you don't even appreciate it! Has a single one of you even bothered to check on her? To make sure she's feeling okay? No! I did, when I was able to make some time between picking up after you and making sure you all didn't kill yourselves!"

They sat looking up at him reproachfully, looking very much like children being scolded by their parent.

"We're all just kids," Aang said as a quiet defense.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and huffed out a hot breath. Then he looked up at everyone again.

"And what do you think Katara is?" he asked them, quieter now. "She's just a kid too."

Zuko scooped up his and Katara's dinners and stalked over to her tent. He pulled the flap back with one foot just far enough to see her form bundled up in her bedroll, her hair an untamed mane around her head.

"Katara?" he called in softly. "I brought you some dinner."

Katara stirred, letting out a low moan as she rolled onto her back and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She blinked drowsily at him.

Zuko came inside and sat down beside her. He offered her bowl to her, and Katara took it.

"How did it go with the kids?" she asked dryly.

Zuko scowled down at his food. "They're terrible and I'm never babysitting again."

Katara chuckled before she coughed. When she had recovered, she looked up at him with a half-smile.

"It's not easy, is it?" Katara quipped.

"No," Zuko growled. "It was easier running a ship."

"Yeah but...they're just kids," Katara said softly as she looked at her food. "They can't help it."

"You're a kid too," Zuko told her. "Don't forget that."

Katara nodded slowly. "It's hard to be a kid during a war."

"Trust me. I know." Katara gave him a questioning look, and Zuko sighed.

"I got banished at thirteen," he explained quietly. "It's a little hard to be a kid when you're a prince who has to run a ship while you try and track down the Avatar to go home." He snorted bitterly. "Not that I had much of a childhood before that."

Katara looked at him sympathetically. She had no idea all that had happened to him, and at such a young age.

"I'm sorry." Katara touched the necklace around her throat. "My mother was killed when Sokka and I were young. And my childhood died right alongside her."

"I'm sorry too." After a beat, Zuko gave her a wry smile. "How are you feeling?"

Katara was glad for the subject change. "Like I got trampled by a sabertooth moose lion."

Zuko opened his mouth to say something, but he was overcome by a series of sneezes. When he was done, he wiped his running eyes and looked at Katara. She was smirking at him.

"Looks like we're both sick," she remarked.

"Great," Zuko grumbled. "Now who's gonna keep an eye on the kids?"

Katara chuckled before she set her bowl aside and laid back down.

"I guess we just hope that they don't kill each other." She gave him a mischievous look. "We are officially quarantined. If you think they're bad now, you don't want to see what they're like when they're sick."

"I'll pass."

Katara patted the space beside her. "Come on. Let's get some rest."

Zuko suddenly realized how tired he felt. And laying down next to Katara did sound inviting.

"Are….are you sure?"

It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the thought of laying next to her. Quite the opposite actually. Ever since holding her on Appa as she cried herself to sleep on the way back from Whale Tail Island, he had wanted to hold her again. To be close. He liked being wanted as much as he enjoyed being able to comfort her. But still, it was polite to ask and make sure.

"Yes, I'm sure. You've earned it. Come on."

With that, he smiled and nodded. Then he stretched out beside her and let out a sigh. She snuggled closer to him and he unconsciously wrapped an arm around her waist. When she didn't reject him, he relaxed into the position. Then he remembered something.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he drawled. "Guess what Toph's new nicknames for us are?"

"Hm?" Katara hummed as she snuggled even closer, already half-asleep.

"Momtara and Dadko."

Then Katara sat up halfway, scowling. "I'm going to kill her—"

She sneezed and covered her mouth with her elbow. Zuko couldn't help the grin that spread over his face.

"Well," she sniffled. "Maybe when I'm feeling better."

She laid back down close to Zuko, and with his warmth keeping her safe and comfortable, soon they were both snoring.