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Chapter 18
Katara's head had been in turmoil when she sought out her boyfriend's comfort, she had walked Toph and Suki back to the co-ed dorm for no other reason than to not be alone with Yue and decided to make the ten-minute trek to the boy's dorm to see him. The only problem was when she arrived there she had no idea what room was Zuko's and his phone was ringing out. She figured he'd left it on the other side of the room, a habit he'd always had, so he could wholly concentrate on his work.
So feeling a little dejected she took a seat on the bench outside the dorm, she knew she'd have to face Yue soon, avoiding her roommate wasn't going to make the unease in her stomach go away nor was avoiding Aang. She let out a deep sigh as her eyes fell on the space in front of her.
God's, what a day. She groaned inwardly.
Katara wasn't suited to the monumental events of the day, she didn't know how to approach Sokka about what she thinks was happening between him and Yue, she didn't know how to turn down a friends affections for her - the last time a friend had shown any affection towards her she had very much reciprocated - and she had zero idea if Suki even suspected what she did.
She scoffed to herself. She hated nothing more than cheaters, the type of men who felt it was okay to walk all over a woman's heart to fill their desires, she hated them. And the idea that the big brother she idolised could hurt someone he was supposed to love that way left a sour taste in her mouth.
For all the ways Jet had mistreated her, for all the ways he had used her, hurt her and treated her like she was just some toy for his desire fulfilment, he hadn't cheated on her. At least she didn't think he had. She scoffed for a moment before she let that thought go up in flames.
Not cheating isn't something to be praised. The voice spoke inside her head. She was right. Of course, she was, that was the basic agreement in any relationship between two people.
She huffed out in frustration. She wished she could talk to Suki about this or even Toph. Maybe her brand of straight talk was what she needed right now. She wasn't wrong about Zuko 'roasting her chestnuts' or Hahn's lack of ability to melt Yue's 'Icicles'. She sighed.
She'd all but decided to slink back to her dorm when she clicked to the spice and sandalwood scent that had begun curling its way so lovingly around her senses. Then he spoke, his voice raspy and low and oh so sexy that she took a second to just enjoy the sound before she replied to him.
He had held her then, like she needed him too, in his warm comforting embrace as she folded into his side, feeling safe and protected. She linked their fingers and rested her head on his shoulder, allowing the rolling waves in her stomach to cease and to just be silent with him.
She mused for a moment about how he was the most uncomplicated thing in her life, her Zuko, the most wonderfully complicated and complex person she'd ever met. A walking contradiction she'd yet to untangle the mysteries of, this wildfire of a man, the man who could freeze blood with that murderous rage of his or flutter her heart with that sweet soft blush, her man, could soothe her like no one else could.
She groaned inwardly when he said they should move, she didn't want to not really, she had been falling asleep against his chest, lulled by his light breathing and warmth, she wondered if he'd invite her into his room but scratched the thought when she remembered Hahn was his roommate. As much as she wanted to sleep tucked into his arms again she didn't want to do it in Hahn's line of sight, The idea made her skin crawl, she'd really rather not.
But he did kiss her, soft and gentle, and when he pulled away she wasn't ready to let him go yet. Not when his warm safe hands were resting against her back, or his lips were so close to hers. So she kissed him back, and he let her lead the kiss.
Maybe he'd come to my room? She thought to herself.
It was when she'd leaned back to ask him if he wanted to stay with her that their moment was shattered. And oh, how it shattered. As if two deeply unsettling revelations hadn't been enough for one day, she was hit with a third. And with it, she snapped.
"You're cheating on Yue!?" She screamed so loud she wouldn't have been surprised if Yue herself had heard her.
"Yue? Hahn whose Yue?" Meng spoke as her large brown eyes only grew wider, she looked over her shoulder to Hahn seemingly unshaken by being caught.
"His girlfriend of like- forever!" Katara hissed, the force of which drying out her throat. Her blood was on fire and she was glaring so hard her eyes hurt.
"Girlfriend? I thought I was your…" Meng's voice trailed as she flicked her tearful eyes back to a furious Katara.
"One of many" Zuko mumbled to himself as he leaned back against the bench, folding his arms over his chest. At least now he didn't have to go through with Sokka's espionage tactics.
Meng let out a whimper, her brown eyes filled with unshed tears as she looked between them before dashing off. Katara watched her go debating if she should go after her, maybe try to console her, even though Hahn was an insufferable bastard, Meng had obviously liked him.
"Now look what you've gone and done" Hahn tutted as he shook his head, his long loose hair brushing the harsh angles of his jaw.
Katara snapped her head to Hahn at an alarming speed, all thoughts of following after Meng disappearing under his accusations.
"Me!?" Katara spat. Her chest heaved with her rage.
"Hahn" Zuko warned from behind Katara, lifting himself to his full height. This was the scenario he was afraid of, he'd dealt with Hahn's his whole life, he knew the tricks. He'd find her weakness and exploit it, an Azula pro tip.
"Get off your high horse Kuruk, you think Yue doesn't know?" Hahn purred, ignoring Zuko's warning, in an all too confident tone that turned her red fury white.
"I'm supposed to believe that!?" Katara scoffed incredulously as she stuck her hands on her hips.
He was obviously lying. Yue wouldn't just accept that, she was loyal to Hahn…
Is she though? A small treacherous voice in her head whispered, ghosting over the spot where she'd scratched that niggling itch so hard it bled.
Yes! Her own voice spat back. She had to be because if she wasn't that meant Sokka wasn't loyal to Suki and she honestly couldn't have said which stung more.
"Ask her Kuruk and ask your brother while you're at it" he spoke in a lilt that broke through the war she was having with herself.
She bared her teeth at him, how dare he bring her brother to his level. How dare he! She would choose to believe in Sokka until given a valid reason not to.
"Don't you dare bring Sokka into this! You're the cheater!" She bit out.
"A little defensive there Kuruk" Hahn spoke with a cock of his brow and tilt of his head.
"Don't listen to him Kat, he's trying to piss you off" Zuko spoke as he came to her side, his own glare levelled at Hahn.
"Or maybe it's a guilty conscience? She didn't sleep in her own bed last night Roku" Hahn spoke as he turned his blue eyes towards Zuko. "And I know she didn't sleep in yours" he added, dragging out the vowels in know.
"Nice try, moron" Zuko scoffed, he could have rolled his eyes at him.
He knew exactly where Karara had been last night because Sokka had told him as much during his endless dinner with him and even if Sokka hadn't told him he'd have just assumed that's where she was.
Katara wasn't able to have a sexual relationship with him yet never mind some random guy on campus and even if that weren't the case, he trusted her. So Hahn would have to do a lot better than that to get under his skin.
"You're confident for a guy with a face like that" Hahn spoke, staring directly at his scar.
Any normal given situation and Zuko might have knocked that stupid grin off his face with a sharp right hook, but given that Hahn had already taken a dig at his scar that day and he didn't care what Hahn thought of him, he found himself unaffected by his comment.
Katara was another story.
"What did you just say?" She spoke in the lowest growl Zuko had ever heard her use, he felt the hairs on his neck prickle as he slid his eyes to her.
Her beautiful face twisted into a mask of complete rage, her usually smooth, blemishless skin was furrowed with hard deep trench-like lines that marred her brow, her bright white teeth clamped together and bared, making her look as if she was more animal than a person. Her pupils were a single rowboat against the tsunami of cerulean fury that was her eyes, threatening to drag anyone under who'd dared chance a risky stare. Her ferocity spilt from her like a waterfall smashing against its basin, Zuko had never seen that look before. Never seen that level of rage from her, that terrifying level of hatred wasn't good for a person. Wasn't good for her.
"I said, Kuruk, now one would blame you for looking elsewhere, when your boyfriend looks like a-" it all happened too fast for Zuko to stop it, Katara hadn't even let Hahn finish before she rushed him, he remembered watching her shove her finger in his face, he was too far away with his good ear pointed to the wind for him to catch what she was saying, he knew she was screaming at him though.
Before Zuko could even move to break the situation up he watched in slow motion as Hahn lifted his hands and shoved her, hard. Katara had staggered back before landing against the gravelled path, with a thud. She'd used her hands to break her fall.
"Katara!" He heard her name tearing from his lips before he snapped his head and scowled at Hahn.
How dare he put his filthy hands on her, how fucking dare he lay his hands on Katara. On his Katara. He felt something he hadn't felt in a long time snap inside him. The rage and fury he'd long wrangled unleashed itself and seared its way through his veins.
He didn't remember moving, he didn't remember at what point he'd pressed his forearm to Hahn's throat, the panic in Hahn's blue eyes hadn't even registered to him. Nothing Hahn was saying registered to him, nothing beyond the pounding blood inside his ears was registering to him. He felt his fist ache with the force he'd used to clench it, if he'd been of sound mind he'd have remembered violence gets you expelled, but at that moment he couldn't have cared less.
Hahn hit Katara. Hahn hurt Katara.
Now he would hurt Hahn. Reeling his fist back, he felt all the long slaved for muscles tighten and chord in his arm and shoulders ready to lunge at Hahn once he deemed he'd built up enough force to do damage, once he had he threw his arm forward…
Then he heard it, Shattering through his rage like a hammer to glass, That blood-curdling scream.
His fist stopped mid-air as the power he'd built drained from his arm, he threw his head in the direction of the scream, his brain not quite catching up with the sudden surge of adrenaline that was coursing through his body at a rapid speed.
Who's screaming? His brain managed as he scanned the area. His golden eyes landing on the only other person it could be…
Katara.
Zuko dropped Hahn like a sack of dirty laundry before he dropped to his knees in front of her. His brain had yet to catch up with what was going on, was she hurt? He couldn't see any damage. She was looking at her hands, where they hurt?
"Are you hurt?" He asked.
He reached out his long fingers brushing against hers, he couldn't see any severe damage, her hands had a few scrapes, a few small beads of blood but it was nothing serious, nothing he hadn't seen her walk off before.
A few times as teenagers they'd gotten hurt, sometimes it was a bruise or a scraped knee from whatever dumb outdoorsy activity Katara had dragged him to, one time he'd even managed to catch his arm on a stray branch and snag his skin bad enough to bleed, but she hadn't reacted like this.
"Katara? What's-" he hadn't even gotten his question out before a second scream tore from her. Her eyes were wide and terrified.
It only then did his brain seem to catch up with what was happening. She was pale, too pale for her beautiful mocha skin to allow, almost ashen, her eyes were locked on her hands pouring tears and absolute terror, her lips quaking harder than her shaking limbs, she was sweating but her skin was so cold to the touch…
"Speak to me Kat, what's wrong? How do I help?" He asked the panic surging through him, he felt a sweat bead on his brow. A coldness filling him.
"Mommy…" her voice a weak hoarse, a ghost of itself, her eyes unmoving from her palms.
"I don't understand?" Zuko panicked, his voice trembling. "Katara I don't-"
She let out another cry so pained and agonised he felt it pierce his chest and resonate deeply inside of him.
Then he froze. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know what was wrong, how could he help her? How could he make it go away? He found himself wishing Iroh were here, he'd know what to do, he'd know how to help. But he wasn't. He was alone in this and she needed him, she needed him and he'd frozen. She was in pain, she was afraid, she was-
A hard shove had Zuko tumbling, his elbows combined with the leather of his jacket broke his fall. He didn't register his own pain, or that he'd landed hard enough that there was most definitely going to be a bruise, he rolled back onto his knees to snarl at whoever dared push him out of the way when he froze.
Sokka.
He watched as Sokka took his own shirt and pulled it over Katara's bloodied hands, blocking her view from the injury. He watched as he slipped a flat palm around the back of her head and rested it against his broad shoulder. He spoke something Zuko couldn't hear, before pressing his forehead to hers, and like magic, Katara responded.
She pulled her eyes from the injury and up to her brother, the terror being replaced by pure devastation. Her screams were replaced by strangled cries of agony as she gripped at her brother's shirt, her still bleeding hands leaving splatters of crimson against the blue fabric of his top.
Zuko moved then, he didn't know what he thought he could do, but he moved. Dropping to his knees next to the woman he loved but couldn't save, his hand reaching out for her shoulder. He could hate himself tomorrow.
Katara seized under his touch, her body felt like it shrivelled before she whipped her head to look at him, those fierce eyes red-rimmed and broken, she looked fifteen again, so small and fragile. He knew she was anything but it still shook him. Her lips quivered again as her face crumbled and more tears made trails down her blotchy face, before, even to his shock, she threw her arms around him, burying herself against him, her head resting on his shoulder, her arms looped around his neck.
He didn't hesitate to wrap her in his arms, one arm around her shoulders and the other circling her waist. He could feel her wet cheek against his throat, her tears making trails down his neck. She was trembling, her grip tight, as she whimpered his name.
It was then Sokka stared at Zuko and Zuko stared back, they didn't need words as a silent agreement passed between them. For the second time that day they stood comrade on a line Hahn had very much crossed.
And for the second time that night, Zuko watched as a second Kuruk sibling rushed Hahn, only this time he had zero interest in stopping it. Not with Katara still so vulnerable in his arms.
"What did you do to my sister!?" Sokka snapped, his hands curled into Hahn's shirt as he lifted him off the floor in a show of brute strength. Hahn squirmed in his arms, his eyes locked solely on Sokka.
"N-nothing, she fell!" Hahn stammered.
"That's bullshit" Zuko snapped, the force of his growl rumbling deep inside his chest before it left him.
"S-she did, I swear!" Hahn spoke again.
"I'm gonna make you hurt, for what you did to Katara" Sokka growled, his own fist poised for the attack, Hahn flinched, slamming his eyes shut, rolling his head to the left to avoid the worst of what was promising to be very very painful.
Only it didn't come. Instead, for the second time that night, he fell to the ground in a heap. He let out a grunt as he opened his eyes.
"Get off of me!" Sokka bit out, two men pulling him back, his arms restrained.
"Campus security, we suggest you calm down now before you make it any worse for yourself" a burly tanned man spoke in a low voice.
"Security?" Sokka sputtered incredulously, as he flicked his wide eyes between the two Khaki polo-shirt clad men.
"This man assaulted me, officer!" Hahn spoke from the ground as he pointed squarely at Sokka.
"I didn't get the chance to!" Sokka returned.
"You know the rules kid. This school has a zero violence policy" one of the campus security offices spoke.
"What?" Sokka gasped.
"You heard us, Kid, they'll have your expulsion papers ready by morning" The other spoke.
Katara let out a loud gasp as she raised her head from the comforting warmth of her boyfriend's shoulder, Zuko stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before him. Once again he had no idea what to do.
Yet, In the panic of the moment, neither of them had noticed the whole dorm had watched the events unfold.