A/N: My sincerest apologies, updates will slow for a few weeks. Ya girl here is getting her MA.
I think we have established I do not own these characters.
Enjoy
Teal
Zuko felt a sense of calm wash over him as he held Katara against him. Her revelation about her ex had rocked him, to say he loathed him would be an understatement, the idea that someone could hurt her like that lit a fire in his veins that at times he felt would swallow him whole. He had felt a cold wash over as she spoke, for one heart-stopping moment in time he had thought the worst had happened to her- his fury had burned white, fierce, cold and murderous.
At that moment he understood Sokka's desperate need to protect his sister, her eyes: her beautiful, mesmerising, kind eyes had been drowning in so much unshed pain that he had felt it too. He had lived it with her.
In a sense he had, where she had been so desperate to feel he had been so desperate not to, where she had chosen pain over numbness he had chosen nothing over feeling. Part of him had wanted to laugh at how cruel a fate that was, to be so needing of some compassion and warmth, to ease a long set in loneliness, but to be handed the opposite like some terrible carnival prize, or to want to feel nothing, to have a moment's reprieve from the noise only for the silence to break and the cacophony be louder. If he believed in any gods he'd have cursed them blue for the irony.
But, he had wasted too much mental energy on a faceless assailant tonight, he had his girl in his arms and that's all he needed to silence the noise. He ran his long fingers through her hair, he could feel that suggestion of a curl against his knuckles, something about the barely-there contour fluttered his chest. Her straight hair was pretty, but it wasn't Katara, it reminded him too much of his ex. Katara had curls as untameable as she was and he loved running his fingers through the mass of hair and watching as they disappeared into the coarse silk.
He loved it when she'd wake up from an accidental nap and try to brush through the thick tresses of her hair with his thin comb, only for curls to engulf the comb or her frustration to overtake her patience. More than once she had to sit between his knees as he untangled her from the toothy grip, only for her to grumble inaudibly as his fingers worked her free. When he was done he would present her with the comb and a remainder to carry a better brush, she'd always pout but thank him with a sweet kiss anyway.
"You hungry?" He was the first one to break the comfortable silence that had fallen over them, as happy as he was to have Katara tucked neatly into his chest again, it had occurred to him that they hadn't eaten anything yet. He doubted a few intentional sips of bottled water and a few accidental sips of lake water was a good enough food source.
"Starving" came Katara's muffled reply as she nuzzled her cheek into his chest.
"Good because the old man has leftovers" Zuko grinned as he retreated from her touch, just like he had done on Friday, he mourned the loss of her warmth, the familiar pressure her body created against his, as he opened the refrigerator door and peered inside.
"I haven't had Iroh's cooking in years" Katara replied with a smile as she slipped both of her hands into the mono-pocket at the front of her pullover.
"It's better fresh but I can make it work" he replied as he pulled out a clear glass dish, with what looked like some kind of pie inside. He peeled back the cellophane and took a quick sniff of the contents, decided it smelt fine, and slid the dish into the oven to heat it.
Katara watched Zuko work, returning to the cutting of vegetables he abandoned when she had entered the kitchen. His broad back facing her looking far more at ease and relaxed than it had done previously. She felt a swell of pride open up in her gut.
Nice going, Tara. The Suki voice spoke as if her friend was giving her an approving smile, while she watched her boyfriend work around the space, she leaned her head in her hands as she caught an unfiltered look of his unmarred profile.
He's beautiful. She thought to herself as she smirked.
My boyfriend. she added as a smile spread on her face, the warmth starting in her chest but enveloping her like the steam from a shower. She felt a little giddy at the idea like she did when he'd first kissed her.
She had been a fifteen-year-old teenager then nursing a Zuko sized crush on her older friend, she'd never thought he liked her back or that he would ever like her back. He was older, attractive and despite his made up conquer list, he was fairly popular amongst the girls plus he'd always acted as her presence annoyed him or that he'd rather be anywhere else.
By the time he'd kissed her she'd all but resigned herself to a one-sided crush, so when he had leaned in and kissed her, gently brushing his lips against hers she had thought it might have been an accident. Her brain had frozen solid as had the breath in her throat, by the time she'd managed to thaw herself enough to realise what had happened he was retreating from her. She didn't think as she pulled him in for another kiss, her lips were clumsy and desperate but he'd returned them anyway, he hadn't been her first kiss but he'd been the most important.
"The weather is still pretty bad. Looks like we're stuck here for a while" he sighed and pulled out two soda's from the fridge.
"Won't your uncle be mad?" She asked, accepting the drink.
"No, he'd be more upset that he didn't get to cook for you," he said, sweeping his long fingers through his hair. "But I'll call him if it makes you feel better?" he offered. She nodded her reply.
Zuko had been right, Iroh had given him an earful about feeding her leftovers and made him promise to bring her round for dinner when he was home. Zuko agreed before asking his uncle if he was staying at the shop. Zuko then returned the favour, he'd warned his uncle about driving in this weather before hanging up the call.
He ran his hand down his face while he watched Katara clean the dishes and put their still damp clothes through the wash. He felt guilty about leaving it to her but Iroh had given him a lecture and he wouldn't let him hang up until he heard it. Still, his chest warmed at the sight of Katara in his kitchen, a hint of her curl peeking through her pin-straight hair.
"What do you want to do?" She asked after a moment, her eyes casting over the storm still raging outside.
"We could watch a movie?" Zuko suggested before his face flushed. He had neglected to realise the only tv in the house was in his room. Iroh had always stuck firmly to his belief that the living room was for living in and sitting around and staring at a black box wasn't exactly Iroh's idea of living- Zuko and his uncle's ideas of what living was differed dramatically, especially when Iroh's ideas extended to thousand-piece puzzles or another dreaded game of Pai-sho.
Not that Zuko had ever understood the rules to his uncle's favourite game, to him it was an old person's game that required patience Zuko didn't have and rules he didn't care to learn. Nevertheless, the last thing he wanted was to make Katara feel like he was making a move on her so soon after her admission. He'd rather suffer a thousand games of Pai-sho or better yet a thousand hours of his uncle's explaining the rules of Pai-sho.
"Or I think uncle has a puzzle or something around here" he mumbled as he averted his eyes. Knowing Katara as well as he does and not knowing the rules to pai-sho effectively ruled that out as a way to pass time. She was as competitive as he was and could get as impatient as he did if she didn't understand something. He'd inadvertently caused arguments that way before…
"A movie sounds good" Katara spoke with a yawn. The exertion from the day finally began to settle in her limbs.
"Yeah, the thing is, uncle doesn't watch a lot of TV-" his hand on the back of his neck as he shuffled ever so slightly from foot to foot.
Katara always found the awkward part of him endearing, it always amazed her how he could go from hissing and scowling to mumbling and blushing in less than ten minutes.
"So the only TV is in your room?" Katara finished. "Zuko, I saw it when I took a shower" she replied as she finished drying the dishes they'd used for dinner.
"Is that okay?" He asked as he looked up at her.
"You're shy for an outlaw" she teased as she gave him a smile over her shoulder.
"I just don't want you to think…" his voice trailed off.
"What? That my boyfriend wants to sleep with me?" She said with a tilt of her head, he averted his gaze looking anywhere but her face, his feet becoming more interesting than they had been previously.
"I'd be offended if you didn't," she replied, making a hard attempt at a joke.
"I'm serious Kat" he replied dryly as he let out a sigh before raising his amber eyes to hold her blue eyes, in the dim grey of the storm her stunning eyes had managed to find a medium between the ocean at dawn and the ocean at dusk, yet despite the wild storm reflecting I'm her eyes, they were calm.
"I'd never… I don't want you to think I'm being…" he reached for a word, his brain desperately trying to find one that she hadn't used to describe her ex. "Forceful"
"I know that" her voice became softer as she offered him a reassuring smile.
"You never did before, and back then you were a pretty horny teenager" she laughed, another attempt at a mood lightening joke. She watched the tension In his body relax a little, he stood just a little taller.
"I don't remember being the only one, Katara Kuruk," he said as he threw his arms over his chest. His head cocked and his eyebrow tilted.
He wasn't wrong, she had enjoyed being intimate with him too, on more than one occasion she'd even managed to summon up the courage to initiate the touch.
It wasn't that she didn't want that again, to be held by him so completely, to whisper sweet words to him and have them whispered back, to be as physically close to the man she loved as possible… but she couldn't. Not yet. He took that from her.
She hadn't realised just how much of an effect Jet's Love had on her, she'd thought being free of him meant she was free of him. That once she wasn't his girlfriend anymore he couldn't hurt her. She just hadn't realised how naive that was.
She remembered breaking up with Jet, the part of her that was loyal had felt that she'd owed him a face to face talk- the same part of her had assumed he'd understand, Zuko had and breaking up with him had been far more painful, but she was wrong again. Jet had thrown a fit, threatened to tell the whole town about the more intimate details of their relationship and even threatened to call Sokka personally if she left him. Something in her snapped that day, she told him to do it.
She knew he'd come through on at least one of those threats, something in her knew he wasn't brave enough to face Sokka, by then Sokka was standing at over six foot and towered over Jet. Not to mention Sokka had begun to fill out, he wasn't as scrawny as he used to be. Jet was just tall and lanky, he could talk a big game but he was a coward. She always knew he was intimidated by her brother, as far as she knew Sokka knew nothing. She planned to keep it that way.
But Zuko wasn't Jet. That alone should have been enough to have overridden whatever residual feelings she had left on the matter, she knew she was very much in love with Zuko, she knew she was safe with him, that he would never hurt her like Jet had and yet there was a lingering shame. As If Jet had tainted the act itself, maybe he had. Zuko had been gentle and caring, he knew when to push and pull, Jet only ever pushed… the idea made her feel guilty. It was obvious Zuko wanted to be with her like that again and she'd have been lying if she had said she didn't want to. But she couldn't shake Jet, and she'd be damned if he was on her mind every time Zuko touched her, negative thoughts or not.
Guess we've got some work to do. The Suki voice spoke again, Katara felt relief at the sound of her friend's upbeat voice, at least Jet had been banished for now. And that meant she could focus on the wonderful man in front of her, her man.
"I meant what I said, I've always felt safe with you" she spoke softly as she closed the distance between them. "Now movie?" She asked sweetly.
Zuko watched as Katara climbed onto his bed, his eyes following her as she went. He smiled inwardly at the sight of her nestling herself comfortably in his pillows, She looked so innocent tucked up safely under his duvet that it tugged at his heart, he felt a sudden need to protect her wash over him. He had hated the way she had spoken about herself.
He still called me his little girl. As if she had been undeserving of the title. It ate at him. He hated what her ex had done to her, how he'd made her feel about herself. He knew from experience her self esteem had taken a hit, he could only guess at some of the things he'd said to her.
He felt that cold fury flare inside him, its iced burn surging through his veins like his blood was dry ice. He knew all too well how those words could get trapped inside a person, how they could become a mantra of hate playing on repeat until they sunk into a person's soul. How they would start as whispers, creeping into the gaps in the good times, like a miasma of self-doubt. How the whispers would gradually get louder until the person shouting them was a mirror reflection. He knew how easy it was to hate yourself because it was easier than hating everybody else.
He didn't want that for her. There was too much about her that made him and everybody else she met smile. She was a light to those around her and he wasn't about to let some boy smother her shine because he couldn't keep his hands to himself. He wouldn't let her hate herself. She meant too much to too many people, she meant too much to him.
"What do you want to watch?" he spoke as he picked up the remote and started flicking through the apps on his television.
"I don't know? A documentary maybe?" She replied as she snuggled herself in more.
"Do you want to put us to sleep?" He replied dryly, the light from the TV reflecting off his pale skin.
"What do you want to watch then?" Came her reply, he could see how tired she was. Her already large eyes looked larger and more owl-like as she blinked at him.
"A horror" he inwardly smirked. He knew that wasn't happening, as fierce as she could be in any other given situation, she was a wimp when it came to fictional horror. The few times he'd managed to convince her to watch a horror film with him had resulted in her head buried in his shoulder and him telling her when 'the scary parts were over'.
"Do you want to keep me awake?" Came her refusal. "For like a week straight?" She added.
"What about a comedy then?" He mediated, flicking through the titles on screen.
"Alright. But it better be a comedy and not a horror-comedy like last time" he felt the corners of his mouth tug at the memory. He'd told her the film was a normal comedy and then laughed when she'd lifted a foot off his bed during a jump scare. It had been funny to him at the time but less funny in the following days when she wouldn't talk to him, he'd had to sit through an entire box set of some teen show she'd been watching at the time as an apology. Now the memory had gone full circle and was back to being funny.
"Noted" He replied, settling on some buddy cop film that more than likely had all the laughs in the trailer. Not that he found most comedies that funny anyway, he preferred action, martial arts or fantasy. Katara would usually opt for a documentary, rom-com or some fluffy costume drama that would bore him half to death. Comedy was a medium he could live with.
Katara watched as her boyfriend eyed the space next to her on his bed and then promptly chose to sit on the hard floor at the foot of the bed. Part of her knew he'd be careful, she'd expected as much when she'd confessed to her overly persistent ex-boyfriend and his wandering hands but she hadn't expected him to completely remove himself from her. He'd managed to out over-caution himself and blow away her expectations.
Had he suddenly forgotten all the touching and kissing they'd shared over the weekend without any incident or was he still blaming himself? She wasn't a breakable doll, maybe slightly cracked, but that didn't mean she wanted him to pull away from her completely.
She pursed her lips as she stared at the back of his head for a brief moment wondering if he would come to that realisation on his own or if she'd have to gently persuade him to get into his own bed with her. She allowed a minute or two to pass before she decided on the latter.
Katara rolled her eyes as she leaned over the edge of the bed, his height meant she didn't have to lean too far to reach him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and resting her chin on top of her arms. She felt him stiffen under her touch, she wondered if he'd ever get used to her touching him.
"I'm not made of glass y'know?" She spoke softly, her curtain of hair caressing his cheek.
"I like the floor, it's good for my...back" he settled on, he mentally slapped himself for his lame excuse. He should have said he was too hot, he cursed his inability to lie.
"Your back isn't touching the floor" she argued, with her eyebrow raised.
"Pelvis then" came his dry reply. Katara resisted the urge to laugh. The gentle approach wasn't working, she released him from her grip as she rolled back onto her knees the bed creaking slightly as she did.
"Zuko, get your pelvis over here. I'm cold and you're warm" Katara spoke flatly as she patted the space on the bed next to her.
"It's like a million degrees" he protested weakly, he wasn't lying. He was hot from the fire licking its way through his body at the sudden unexpected sensation of her warm breath against his cheek.
"For the love of the gods Zuko Roku, I want to snuggle" Katara huffed as she flopped herself back against his pillows. The more aggressive method hadn't worked on him either, she both cursed and was in awe of his stubborn streak. She wondered if she was that annoying when she'd chosen her hill too. Scratch that, she knew she was that annoying when she planted her feet, almost every unfortunate soul who'd come across her stubborn streak had told her as much.
"Just say that then" he grumbled as he lifted himself off the floor. He knew he'd lost this round, he wanted to be in the bed with her he just hadn't wanted to assume she did too.
He eyed the space next to her, her hand patting it. Tentatively he sat down, his arms over his chest, a space between them. He'd taken her persistence as permission, but part of him was still wary about touching her. The idea of setting off another attack twisted his stomach into knots.
Katara sighed as she shuffled in next to him, pulling one of his arms around her shoulders and throwing one of hers over his stomach, her head resting on his shoulder. He stayed still for a moment before he slipped his free arm over hers.
"Was that so hard?" She huffed.
"You're talking over the film" came his dry reply, a smirk she didn't see across his lips.
Zuko didn't know when but at some point they'd fallen asleep. He'd woken up to complete darkness, he'd assumed they'd been out for hours as his TV had turned off due to inactivity. He craned his head carefully, trying not to wake the still sleeping Katara, her head tucked neatly under his chin, her soft breaths kissing his collarbone, allowing his dominant ear to listen for the storm that had still been pounding against the widows when they'd climbed into bed.
He was fairly confident the storm had let up when he was greeted with silence, slipping his eyes to the only light source in his darkroom, he eyed the time displayed on his alarm clock. Half-past one in the morning.
"Shit" he grumbled to himself. He debated waking up Katara and asking her if she wanted to go back to campus, the roads would be empty now and it would be a short drive, she'd be back in her own bed in less than half an hour. But then, so would he, alone, without her warmth and having to deal with Hahn and his hahnlings as they quizzed him about where he'd been all night. The thought already annoyed him.
His train of thought was derailed by the soft sound from the blue-eyed beauty steering on his chest. He felt her heat retreating as she lifted her head to stare at him, the grog of sleep still masking her delicate face.
"We must have fallen asleep, it's pretty late" he whispered as he ran his hands down his face.
"Good thing we have this comfy bed to sleep in" she replied with a yawn, her voice was still heavy with sleep as she blinked at him through tired eyes.
"What time is your first class?" He asked softly, running his fingers through her now straight hair, the curl he'd like must have fallen out as it dried.
"Midday, you?" Another yawn took her as she dropped her head back to his chest and nuzzled her cheek against him.
"Midday" he repeated in reply.
"Then I don't see a problem"
"Me either" he agreed, as he moved to pull his blanket over them, she did the same, laying down more comfortably he let out his yawn as he pulled her closer to him, eyes already closed she buried her head under his chin and threw her arms around his middle and fell back into a comfortable sleep.
To Zuko's surprise and Katara's annoyance, the pair had woken up around eight the next morning. She'd have preferred to sleep longer or at least lay in bed longer but part of her had forgotten Zuko was an early bird. By the time she'd dragged herself out of bed, he'd already showered and dressed.
She'd grumbled about how early it was as she too dragged herself through her morning routine, finding herself lucky that Iroh kept himself fully stocked with spare toiletries for guests, in this case, she needed a toothbrush. Once she was clean she slumped out of the bathroom to find her clothes from the previous day on the already nearly made bed. If she wasn't so annoyed at having to wake up she'd have wondered who the real military brat was.
Slipping back into her denim shorts and t-shirt, she decided to keep the pullover on. For one the air-conditioning in the house was making her chilly and two it still smelled of Zuko.
Once again she followed the sound of dishes being moved about in the kitchen. She was pleasantly surprised to find there was no smoke billowing out of the room and Zuko had managed to cook an egg without searing a hole through the bottom of a pan.
"Need some help?" She asked mirroring last nights entrance. He had his broad back to her, only this time he'd didn't stiffen at the sound of her voice.
"I think I got it" he replied "hope you're okay with omelette" he added.
"Am I being blessed with your cooking?" She teased as she watched him work. The sound of the pan hissing as he poured in more of the omelette mix he'd made.
"I wouldn't get too excited," he said with a lopsided smile over his shoulder "this is the extent of my culinary expertise" he added as he slid an omelette onto a plate before placing it in front of her.
She offered him a grateful smile as she cut a piece off with her fork. It was an omelette, it was cooked. There wasn't much else she could say about it. It wasn't mind-blowing but it was edible food and she was starving. She was halfway through her food when it occurred her he wasn't eating.
"Are you not eating?" She asked as she flicked her eyes between her plate and him. For a moment she wondered if he'd done anything to her food before remembering that was a classic Sokka trick, usually, he'd have oversalted on purpose or stuck hot sauce on the inside, and thankfully Zuko was not Sokka.
"I don't normally eat in the mornings" he replied as he sipped what she assumed was black coffee.
"Since when? You always ate before" she protested.
"Only when I was with you, otherwise I wouldn't really," he said with a shrug.
"Well you're with me now, Outlaw" She hit back as she raised her brow at him.
"I turned the oven off"
"Good thing I saved half of mine" Came her reply as she pushed her plate in front of him. She flicked her eyes between him and the plate. He stared back at her his brow raised. They held eyes for a moment before she sighed pulling her plate back. For the briefest of moments, he'd thought he'd managed to even off the scoreboard but scratched the idea when she held up a fork to his mouth.
"I'm not eating that, I cooked it" he spoke as he eyed the too yellow square hanging off the end of her fork. She stifled a laugh before offering it to him again. He stared at her.
"Oh, right sorry I forgot, his Highness doesn't share utensils with the peasantry" she teased in a mock voice as she leaned her head in her hand. She'd all but given up on the venture when he dipped his head and took the food from her offered fork.
Despite her insistence that he eat or the multiple kisses they shared, a blush still found its way to her face. There was something strangely intimate about the act. She found her eyes lingering on his lips, her lip finding its way between her teeth.
"I'm a terrible cook" he rasped, grinning inwardly at his small victory.
After Katara had managed to force-fed him half of her breakfast they pair set about clearing away the mess from breakfast. Chatting idly as they went, Katara spoke about how boring she found religious studies and about how Aang would give her a running commentary of the lecture and Zuko spoke about having the same problem in one of his classes with a boy called Bolin, he admitted to not hating him though. By the time they were done, it was almost ten.
"Can't we just skip?" Katara groaned at Zuko's suggestion they leave soon. She knew that wasn't a possibility attendance was part of the grade and she'd promised herself she wouldn't skip a class without a good reason, she'd let her grades slip in high school and had to do a mountain of extra credit work to salvage them, plus she knew how serious Zuko took his schooling.
"No" he replied flatly, she'd expected as much but that didn't stop her disappointment, She'd already started fantasising about a day in bed watching dumb TV and eating snacks that were bad for them. She pouted at the loss of her pipe dream.
With that she gathered her things and slipped into the passenger's seat of his car, they hadn't spoken too much more after he rejected the idea of a lazy day she hadn't told him she was half planning, instead she pouted as she watched Ba Sing Se drift passed her from her passenger's window. She'd realised at some point during the drive that she didn't care about the lazy as much, she just wanted to spend more time with him.
He pulled up outside her dorm, too early for her liking, and held the door for her. Normally she'd have beat him to it but she just didn't want to have to separate so soon. She slumped out of the car with a sigh as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
"Last call for skipping class?" She chanced, already knowing the outcome.
"Nope" he replied as he closed the door behind her. She figured as much, instead, she settled for slipping her hand in his, his fingers interlocking with hers with no resistance.
"Lame move from an outlaw" she grumbled as they walked around the car. He let out a scoff in response.
"Quit pouting already, it's one class" he chided with a smile.
"I know… but I wanted to...never mind" she sighed, her eyes dropping to their hands, as she flexed her fingers around his, the warmth of his hand enveloping hers. He followed her eyes, he knew what she had meant. He didn't want to separate so soon either.
She let out a small squeal as he pulled her to him, his other hand taking hers, as he lessened the distance between them. She felt both giddy and relieved, at least he wasn't still afraid to touch her, maybe sleeping wrapped in each other's arms had done the trick.
"I want to spend more time with you too, Kat" his voice low and raspy, sending a shudder down her spine. She leaned in closer to him, easing a little at his words.
"Can I see you after class then?" She asked looking at him through her lashes.
"Anytime you want pretty girl" he replied as he pushed a stray piece of her hair behind her ear, it almost created one of those hair loops she used to have.
"Okay" she replied in barely a whisper, her voice nearly getting lost in the space between them.
"Can I kiss you?" He asked as his eyes dipped to her lips the same way hers had his over breakfast. She nodded her reply, as she met his lips with hers.
She'd almost forgotten how affectionate he could be, he wasn't overly so to the point of it being possessive or uncomfortable for everyone else, but he wasn't afraid to hold her hand in public or give her a small kiss. He never had been, even as teenagers people had gotten the idea they were dating when he'd given her a small peck before they'd ever said as much. Most people had been more shocked by that than the fact that they were dating.
She smiled at him as he pulled away, their hands still locked. She could see the small tug at the corners of his mouth, she'd gotten so used to seeing his smile over the last few days that the sight of his straight mouth seemed more alien to her, and yet he was still handsome.
"See you later?" She asked as she repositioned her bag strap on her shoulder.
"See you later, Kat" he replied as she folded his arms over his chest. She gave him one last soft kiss before heading back into her dorm. As usual, he waited until she was inside before making the short trip to his dorm.
Outlaw, Prince, Handsome and now boyfriend, a smile spread on her lips as she wondered how many more names she could add to that list. She wasn't sure but she was excited to find out.
A/N: I wanted to give you some fluff after presenting you with pain in that last chapter.
Please R&R