Zutara Month Day 2: Ambassador

For Luck?

Zuko really couldn't believe this. The very important meeting to discuss trade and reparations was starting in ten minutes, and yet he couldn't find the ambassador spearheading the conference anywhere.

He hurried up and down the corridors of the palace, poking his head into various rooms and only coming up empty. The meeting couldn't exactly go on without the ambassador (or himself) but that didn't mean he wanted to be late.

And the stuffy ministers who barely took him seriously (a nineteen year old Fire Lord? Pfft, he might as well shove over and let the grownups run things) definitely wouldn't appreciate being made to wait, even though they would say no such thing out loud.

So Zuko kept looking, feeling more frantic at every empty room, until he finally found the ambassador in question. Katara was slumped over a pile of scrolls in the library, dead asleep.

Zuko swore under his breath as his search came to an end, guilt overwhelming the irritation he'd felt previously. It was hard to stay mad at her when she looked so soft and peaceful, her mouth slightly agape and each exhale causing a curl that had come loose from her topknot to flutter in front of her face.

And really, he was the one who'd pushed this so hard, wasn't he? He'd asked her to come here, looking for a friendly face in a sea of faces who were waiting for him to fail, instead of letting her stay at home with her family and be a kid. Well, Katara was seventeen, nearly eighteen, and hardly a child (as he was often reminded of when he looked at her), but the war had taken so much from her, and yet he thought himself worthy enough to ask for more.

Of course, he hadn't asked her to come back just to be his ambassador. The truth was selfish, but he loved her.

With a soft sigh, Zuko crossed the room and went to her. He shook her gently by the shoulder, but still she startled awake, her hair flying as her head jerked up, blue eyes wide and still half-asleep.

"I'll have you know, Minister Chin—" Katara cut off, looking up and seeing Zuko standing there. "Oh, you're not Minister Chin." She covered a yawn with her hand before her eyes flew open wide. "Oh spirits, I didn't actually fall asleep talking to Minister Chin, did I?"

Zuko smirked crookedly at her. "No, I don't think so. He's not even in the palace today."

"Oh, that's good. Guess I fell asleep." She stretched. "What time is it? Maybe I've got time for a sweet roll and tea before the meeting."

"Uh...the meeting starts in...five minutes," Zuko told her, a bit regretfully.

Katara's eyes snapped to him. "What? But I—I'm not ready!" She dropped her gaze to the mountain of scrolls and let out a frustrated growl. "And I drooled on my proposal!" She buried her face in her hands.

Zuko wrapped his hands around her wrists and gently pulled them away from her face, kneeling down so his face was level with hers.

"It's fine, Katara," Zuko told her with an encouraging smile. "I'm sure your proposal is perfect."

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "This is my first time presenting my own idea to the ministers."

"Are you worried?" Zuko asked her.

She nodded, a bit sheepishly.

Zuko exchanged his hold on her wrists for one of her hands, squeezing slightly. "You're going to do fine. You're Master Katara. You've done more in your life than most of those stuffy old people have done in all their lives put together."

A dusky blush rose in her cheeks, and he felt his heart quicken at the sight.

She gave his hand a thankful squeeze. "Thanks, Zuko," she murmured, peeking up at him from beneath her lashes with her impossibly blue eyes.

The corner of his lips turned up. "Of course, Katara."

If his voice sounded huskier than usual, Katara either didn't notice it or pretended not to.

"We should get going," Katara said, sounding a tad breathless.

Zuko stood and reluctantly let go of her hand. He stepped back to give her space to get to her feet. Katara stood up and began to gather up her scrolls. He helped her, and he couldn't ignore the charged feeling of his skin when his fingers brushed hers.

Katara turned towards him, but Zuko was too close, nearly trapping her between his body and the desk. He stepped back as a warm heat crept into his cheeks. Katara looked up at him with a nervous smile.

"Shall we go?" she asked him.

Zuko quickly swallowed his nervousness as he stepped closer to her again. "One more thing."

Her brow knit as she peeked up at him. "What is it?"

Zuko steeled his nerves as he met her curious gaze. Before he could convince himself that this was probably a bad idea, he leaned down and quickly kissed her cheek.

He heard Katara's soft gasp. And when he pulled back her fingers flew to her cheek, brushing the skin his lips had just touched, as she looked up at him, her eyes now wide.

"What was that for?" Katara rasped, her expression unreadable.

"For luck?" Zuko squeaked, suddenly unsure of himself.

"For luck," Katara breathed. Did she sound...disappointed?

Zuko nodded, feeling his cheeks burn hotter. Katara turned and set her scrolls on the desk, her movements careful.

"Katara..what are you doing? We're going to be late," Zuko remarked stupidly as she turned back to him.

Katara didn't answer as she looked up at him. As he stared back, he practically felt pinned in place by her gaze. He could get lost in her ocean eyes forever. She stepped closer to him, and he noticed her bottom lip caught between her teeth as her eyes seemed to search his face.

Zuko started to ask a question. "Is everything—"

But his words were cut off when Katara stretched up and pressed her lips to his. Zuko stiffened for a moment, his eyes growing wide, before they finally closed and he sank into her kiss. His hands came up to cup her cheeks while her fingers knotted in the front of his tunic (wrinkling it, no doubt, but Zuko found that he didn't care).

Too soon, Katara pulled back, breathless now. He stared at her, almost unable to believe what had just happened.

"Wow" was all he managed to say.

Katara turned back to her scrolls and gathered them in her arms, her cheeks still an adorable shade of pink. She finally smoothed back the flyaway lock of hair as she looked up at him.

"We should go," she murmured as she started for the door.

Zuko felt rooted in place. "Um...are we gonna talk about…?"

She threw him a disarming smile over her shoulder. "After the meeting. I'm feeling more confident now."

Zuko smiled and was finally able to move. He ghosted across the room feeling light as a feather. As he caught up, he put his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the meeting, now looking forward to what might come after.