A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've been so so busy. Hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: you get it.
Chapter 20
By the time Zuko and Katara had piled themselves into the Camaro, shaken off their impromptu babysitter, and were on the deathly quiet roads of Ba Sing Se, they were both physically and mentally drained. Neither of them had it in them to speak and the night had been too painful for them both to bear the burden of words.
Zuko wasn't sure if his Uncle would be home, the dashboard clock of his car showed it was almost midnight, the Jasmine Dragon would have closed a little over two hours ago, if Iroh was home he was far more likely to be asleep. Zuko prayed he was. Iroh could read people better than the ingredients list on his favourite dishes, he had a way of just knowing and Zuko really didn't want to have to face him tonight, he didn't think Katara did either.
But Zuko had also forgotten that luck was never one of his strong suits and if there were any gods they usually weren't paying attention to his prayers. It was starting to feel like a running joke between him and the universe, only he wasn't the one laughing. So when he placed the gold key in the door and led Katara inside, there Iroh was, Sitting on the couch enraptured by one of his thousand-piece puzzles, a piece in one hand and a steaming mug of tea in the other.
Zuko might have rolled his eyes had it not been for the stabbing pain that was currently working its way through his optic nerve. If he had the energy, he might have summoned a laugh too. But he did neither, instead, he placed his bag on the floor with a loud enough thud to draw Iroh's attention. He knew there was no escaping this, Iroh would either hear them heading upstairs and come to see if he was okay or he already knew they were there and was waiting for someone to speak. He was willing to bet it was the latter.
"Ah, Nephew! What a surprise" Iroh spoke as he set his mug down, the puzzle piece still in his hand.
"Hi Uncle" Zuko's response was almost robotic, he was tired of this conversation already.
"And Miss Katara, what a lovely surprise! Come sit" he spoke gleefully as he tapped the sofa with a small thud.
"Sorry to drop in unannounced" Katara managed with the emotion Zuko had been lacking in, as she took the seat she'd been offered.
Zuko followed sitting next to her, he could already see the gears working in his Uncle's head, he'd already assessed the situation and he no doubts had a proverb lined up in that infinitesimal head of his. He dug the heel of his palm into his aching eye, he wanted the relief the pressure usually brought, he hissed when all the action did was cause a further sting.
"Nonsense, you are always welcome in my home" he spoke with a warm, jovial smile, the corners of his eyes wrinkled with his age.
"Even so, it's late. I'm sorry" Katara replied as she offered a limp smile before dropping her eyes to her hands in her lap.
"Oh, those look painful" Iroh spoke as he rose to his feet and shuffled his way into the kitchen, reemerging with a green first aid box. He sat himself down before handing Zuko a cloth, the tendrils of steam coming off the fabric.
Zuko took it without a word pressing it to his eye, the warmth of the cloth soothing the tense muscles and relieving some of the built-up pain surrounding the scarred flesh. He let his head lull over the back sofa, feeling even more tired now that he was in less pain. He closed his heavy eyelids for a moment and let his mind go blank, he needed the moment of stillness, wanted the quiet.
It was the soft hiss from Katara that pulled him back, sitting forward he pulled the cloth from his face, he felt an unease. Twice now he'd seen her panic and twice now he could do nothing for her, once on Sunday when she swore it wasn't his fault when she told him of an Ex that had hurt her and tonight.
His body ran cold with the image of her large, terrified, glazed over eyes. She'd been somewhere else, somewhere trapped in a painful memory she couldn't break from on her own.
"Something tells me you two have had quite a night" Iroh spoke as he dabbed a cotton ball against Katara's hands, the smooth white of the cotton soaking up the dirt of the gravel and the now dried blood off her palms.
"Yeah. We'll say that" Zuko responded flatly as he leaned his head back against the sofa, his head pounding. God's he was tired. So tired.
He was beginning to wonder exactly what kind of person he'd been in a past life to have been gifted, not only the shitty end but also the sharp end of the stick. The thought occurred that maybe he hadn't been gifted a stick at all, possibly a morning star or a bat wrapped in barbed wire, when Katara's soft, almost inaudible sniffle broke him from his spiral.
"It was all my fault…" she spoke, her incredible blue eyes pointed towards her hands.
He tugged the cloth from his face and sat forward, how many more times was he going to have to see her hurt? He felt that anger flare inside him, not this time. He was very much a veteran of blaming himself for everything but he wasn't going to let her do that. It wasn't a great place to be.
"Don't do that Kat, don't let him inside your head" Zuko replied as he leaned fully forward.
"How about I make some tea?" Iroh spoke calmly as he climbed to his feet before shuffling off into his kitchen.
"I should have stayed calm like Sokka, now everything has gone to shit" She spoke again a single crystalline tear making its way down her soft cheek.
"No, pretty girl. Hahn is just an asshole" Zuko spoke softly. He wanted to touch her, comfort her in some way, but he was afraid too. Twice now she'd been triggered and both times he'd been there and hadn't been any help at all.
"But it's Sokka who's paying for it. He works so hard. It should be me getting kicked out, not him!" Katara cried as she lifted her eyes from the spot they'd been fixed on. "I was the one who started it!"
"Just stop Katara. Blaming yourself isn't going to do anything" Zuko hit back as he pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes clenched shut. The pain from his damaged eye had spread to his good eye now. He needed sleep.
"What else am I supposed to do, Zuko? My brother is getting kicked out of school and there isn't anything I can do about it!" Katara replied, her irritation slipping through her words.
"I don't know, Kat! I don't know! I wish I had that answer for you but I don't, okay!?" He snapped.
"Well I can't just sit here and do nothing, someone I love is hurting. I can't just leave the people who need me" she spoke as she rose to her feet.
She means like you did. Azula's controlled voice bounced around the aching caverns of his skull. He felt his chest clench and the pit open in his stomach.
Katara wouldn't have meant that, she isn't cruel. He replied to the Azula in his head.
"There's nothing you can do this late" he spoke without sparing her a glance. "We were kicked off of campus, remember?"
"I don't care! I'd rather try than do nothing at all" Katara shot back.
Ouch. Strike two. Must be in your head too, Zuzu. Azula's voice echoed again. He could almost feel the delight she would be taking in his pain, that glint in her eyes as she watched him suffer.
"You mean like me?" The words flew from his mouth before he'd ever had time to stop them before they'd even had time to fully form on his tongue. Katara stopped dead in her tracks before she turned to face him, he felt the shame burn almost instantly as he averted his gaze from hers.
He hadn't meant to say that, he hadn't meant to make it about him. Katara was worried about her brother, she didn't need to be worried about her useless boyfriend also. He'd already failed her twice, he guessed he could add a third now too. He should have been soothing her and calming her, that's what a good boyfriend does. He wished he could take it back, take the last few hours back. But he couldn't.
"Is that what you think?" Katara managed from a semi-dry throat.
She eyed him for a moment, the slump in his shoulders, the redness on the back of his neck, the way he wouldn't look at her. He was doing it again, taking whatever was hurting her and aiming it at himself.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that" he rasped, as he ran his long fingers through his raven locks before giving up and just leaning his head in his hands.
"But you did, Outlaw" Katara spoke softly as she made her way back to the sofa, she eyed the space next to him before she decided on the space in front of him.
"Forget I said it. We need to focus on Sokka" Zuko said as he cleared his throat.
"Oh Zuko, you didn't leave me. You did exactly what I needed you too" Katara spoke as she leaned over and brushed his bangs from his tiger-gold eyes. "You always do"
"Kat, I… I can't get it right" he replied as he sighed.
"You're doing fine" Katara replied as she cupped his scarred cheek, running her thumb over the rough edge of his scar.
They held eyes for a moment, their stare lingering, a thousand words not passing between them. So badly did he want to pour his heart out to her, his insecurities and fears- gods know he has them. But he didn't, not tonight, he'd already said more than he'd meant too and Katara was already worried for her brother, this would be enough for tonight. So he nodded, placing his larger warmer hand over hers and kissing her palm being cautious of the scraps she'd sustained earlier. She offered him a tired smile, taking his second hand in hers and offering it a squeeze.
"And you're right" Katara conceded with a sigh, "I can't prove Hahn wrong if I act exactly like he said we did"
"We didn't really help the first time," Zuko added, curling his fingers around Kataras.
"Then what do we do?" Katara replied, gnawing at her plump bottom lip. "I can't let Sokka get expelled because of me"
"Hahn" Zuko corrected.
"Forgive an old man for eavesdropping, but tea is ready when you are" Iroh spoke as he presented the young couple with a tray and a steaming pot of what both Katara and Zuko could smell was jasmine tea.
They both offered him a smile with varying degrees of tiredness, before offering their thanks, Zuko's a mumble and Katara's far more appreciative and warm.
They sat in silence for a while as they drank, Katara had always enjoyed jasmine tea, she preferred it cold with a lot more sugar than Iroh's customary none, but she was too tired to care and too anxious to register the taste anyway.
The thought of Sokka alone in his dorm room facing expulsion for her butting in was too much, there was a reason her father called her firecracker and this was it. He always said there was too much fire in her to contain in such a small package and that usually meant it would explode and make the loudest bang. She'd always been torn on whether he meant it as a compliment or not but right now she was guessing not.
She always had a problem containing her temper anyway, she knew that, but she'd always reasoned she was just a passionate person who cared. She'd always dived in head first, consequences be damned, Hahn was the worst he needed to be told, but now there were consequences and they weren't hers. They were Sokka's and they were Zuko's and she couldn't do anything for either of them.
The two men she loved most in the world and she'd managed to do damage to them both in one loud bang. She was definitely a firecracker, and now like most explosions, there's a whole lot of mess to clean up and she had no idea where to start.
"If you would like to talk miss Katara, I'm ready with a willing ear" Iroh spoke softly around his cup.
So she did. She told Iroh everything, if there was one person who always seemed to know what to do or say it was Iroh, and if she was being completely honest with herself, she wanted to be told how to fix it. She left nothing out save for the harrowing memories of her mother's death, she couldn't relive that again, not tonight.
Iroh nodded, his face fixed into one of contemplation as he listened to her speak, occasionally Zuko would offer a word or two but left most of the explaining to Katara, she was doing a better job at it anyway and besides, the less he spoke the less his uncle could pry into what was going on inside his head, and when they were done recasting the evening's events there was a silence.
"Well, that does sound like an evening" Iroh finally spoke.
"I don't know what to do, it's my fault and Sokka is getting the blame" Katara spoke.
"Hahns" Zuko added again.
"I'm afraid no one is blameless here Nephew" Iroh spoke, Katara felt her eyes prick, she knew it was her fault, she just didn't like hearing it confirmed.
Way to go Katara. That little voice spoke again. She didn't push it away, it was right.
"Uncle-"
"But neither is it fully anyone's fault" Iroh spoke as he cut off Zuko's promised tirade.
"The need to help is an admirable one Miss Katara but sometimes help isn't always action" Iroh spoke as he shifted his hazel eyes between the pair.
"What does that even mean? Aren't you the one always telling me to take action?" Zuko scoffed, he knew this would be a headache, he loved his uncle but he didn't love his cryptic life lessons, he was too tired to figure out what he was trying to say.
"No, I understand" Katara spoke softly as she looked into her mug of tea, even she could see the tiredness in her own eyes. "My Gran-gran used to tell me to think before I act, that if I didn't one day I'd regret it"
"Indeed, a moment of patience in a moment of anger saves you a thousand moments of regret. You all acted in anger, thus you have regret" Iroh nodded in agreement.
"So what? Do we just regret it? How does that help?" Zuko hissed, the heels of his palms buried into his eyes so hard he was seeing stars on the back of his eyelids.
"Regret is an opportunity to learn Nephew," Iroh added.
"Uncle-" Zuko half groaned half growled as he peered at him with one eye.
"With that being said, schools have rules but rules are subject to terms, without a fair impartial investigation, the school can't expel Sokka" Iroh spoke as he raised his teacup free hand in acquiesce.
"But the campus security?" Katara spoke, raising her eyes to look at Iroh.
"Only saw a piece of the puzzle, without adding all the pieces together, there is no clear picture" Iroh spoke with a warm smile as he rested one hand on his rotund belly. "Expelling a scholarship student without a fair trial would be a PR nightmare too" he added as he sipped from his cup. "Especially the son of a veteran"
"So if we can prove Hahn was lying, we can save Sokka?" Katara asked, feeling a spark of hope for the first time since she'd laid eyes on Hahn's smug face earlier that night.
"The dorm doesn't have cameras outside the building, so video evidence is out" Zuko spoke.
"Not only cameras have eyes, Nephew" Iroh replied from around his cup.
"Brogue!" Katara shouted excitedly, her eyes gaining back her sparkle.
"Who?" Zuko asked, raising his eyebrow at her.
"You know, Brogue, your friend with the green eyes. You introduced us the other day" Katara elaborated as she eyed her boyfriend for a moment.
"I don't know any-" Zuko spoke for a moment before it clicked with him who she meant. "-Bolin, Kat" he added as he resisted the urge to laugh.
Katara had always been bad with names, he gathered that was a side effect from moving all the time, a constant sea of new faces and names. He imagined at some point she just stopped trying to remember them all, but even still, Brogue? He bit back a chuckle.
"Right! Bolin, he asked me if I was okay! He said he'd seen the whole thing!" Katara spoke practically bouncing in her seat. "He's a witness! And Yue too, Hahn said he was with her when he wasn't" she added.
"We could ask Bolin, Kat, but I wouldn't get your hopes up about Yue. She knew" Zuko spoke as he ruffled his fingers through his hair, the idea still pissed him off. He didn't know who he was more annoyed with, Hahn for being slime or Yue for being okay with it.
"Maybe… but, I think for Sokka she might" Katara spoke as she looked down at their linked hands, he hadn't let her hand go since he'd taken it. She always thought his pale skin looked beautiful against her darker skin, a yin-yang like contrast.
She'd decided to believe in Sokka, but she still had doubts about it and if she was right and there was something going on between her brother and Yue then maybe it was strong enough to overpower whatever the hell her relationship with Hahn was.
While she couldn't fathom the idea of cheating on a partner, given hers was Zuko and she was very much in love with her boyfriend, she did understand love. She understood that spark, that overwhelming feeling of attraction and that need to be with the person who brought those feelings out.
"I hope so, pretty girl" he spoke softly as he ran his thumb over her knuckles, "but if not, maybe that other girl can?" He added.
"I'll ask her too. The more witnesses the better" Katara spoke watching Zuko's thumb run circles into the back of her hand.
"Well, sounds to me like you have a plan of action" Iroh finally spoke, he'd been watching them interact since they'd arrived.
He hadn't been all that shocked that Zuko had arrived with Katara, he'd suspected their rekindling the moment Zuko had brought her into the Jasmine Dragon and now he was more than convinced.
Not that that remotely surprised him either, he wasn't even surprised when they started a relationship all those years ago, despite Zuko's insistence that he didn't even like Katara as a person it was clear he had been lying. His eyes had always lingered on her as she worked and her shifts were the only shifts Iroh could get him to work without a protest. He'd even seen them share a kiss or two when they thought he wasn't looking.
He was glad, Katara was good for him and he was good for her. He was relieved to see his nephew opening up again, even if it was only a little, it was more than he had done in the last few years. He'd all but shut down after she'd moved, refusing to feel much of anything, and that had led him right back to his father. Iroh shuddered at the thought, that man had done more than enough damage to his beloved nephew.
But that was a thought for another time, instead, he bid the couple a goodnight, he'd done his part now it was time for them to do theirs. He had no doubt they'd succeed, they always did when they were together, they just needed to get out of their own way first.
A/N: I am so very sorry for the long wait. I got really busy all of a sudden and didn't get the time I wanted to write, I'm aiming for an update every two weeks.