"Let's do some shots, people!"

Despite the loud music and all the noise, Sokka's screech somehow managed to reach their entire table, eliciting different reactions from the rest of the group. From Aang giggling, face red like a ripe tomato to Jet leading a slow rumble of fists drumming against the table and Toph roaring from the depths of her lungs like a wild beast. It was rare for the whole team to go out together, and some people, namely Sokka, were taking full advantage of the opportunity.

Truth be told, Katara was starting to feel a little giddy herself. It had been a stressful project, and it felt good to finally be done with it. It also helped that her gin and tonic kept being refilled like magic and the low bass music got her blood pumping and filled her with some restless energy she had no outlet for.

Zuko passed her a tequila shot and she thanked him with a grunt. Licking salt from her hand, she downed the drink with no hesitation, completely ignoring the table's collective countdown.

"You know what your problem is, Zuko?" Katara mumbled, face scrunching up after spitting out her piece of lime.

"I'm sure you'll tell me all about it," he grumbled back, rolling his eyes.

"You're too stiff," she said, flicking the tip of his nose, much to his chagrin. "It's been, what, five months since you were hired and I don't think I saw you smile once."

"Eight months…"

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Katara continued her tirade as if he hadn't uttered a word, "Not a single smile in five months!"

"Eight."

"Even worse!" She laughed. "I bet you don't even remember how to anymore."

"Smiling is innate to the human species," he said, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at her. "Even if its meaning changes, one cannot simply forget how to use those facial muscles."

"Yeah, your speech would be fascinating if you weren't such a stiff know-it-all."

"And yours would be a lot more demeaning if you knew better insults—"

With her inhibitions down, there was no stopping the gin that went flying right into his face. The drippy hair sticking to his forehead made him look like a sad puppy, and she found his dumb face hilarious. "How's that for a better insult?"

He blinked, struggling to keep his eyes open. "Kinda burns."

"Oh, Zu—" Before she started apologizing, Katara snapped her mouth shut and shifted on her seat to put as much space between them as she could. She hoped the physical distance would stop her from caring, but fearing that it wouldn't be enough, she thunked her empty glass down on the table and got up. "I mean, serves you right, jerk."

Averting her gaze, Katara started making her way to the restroom, but her brother blocked her path, grabbing her wrist as she passed behind him.

"Whoa, where are you going?" he yelled."We're doing another round!"

She glared at Sokka in complete silence for five entire seconds, then took the glasses he had in each hand and swiftly emptied them one after the other.

"Katara, you scoundrel! One of those was mine—"

"Cry me a river, Sokka," Katara cut him off, giving her brother a wave from over her shoulder as she marched away, confident stance trying to make up for the wobble on her steps. Hopefully, splashing some cold water on her face would help her sober up...

.

The team scattered after moving to the second bar, and she had been too busy vomiting the contents of her stomach to keep track of whoever else was still around. She hunched over on the side of the building, eyes tearing up, throat burning, and legs barely standing as Suki held her hair and drew soothing circles on Katara's back.

"Katara, are you listening? Zuko is taking you home."

"Ah, Zuko Shmuko," Katara grumbled, wiping her lips on the back of her hand. She tried to stand straighter, but her feet hurt. "I don't need a babysitter."

"You are in no condition to go home on your own, honey," Suki deadpanned, hooking an arm through the other woman's and leading the way. "Come on, let's get you inside the cab."

.

The window was cool against her feverish skin. It was nice. Made her relax, but it also made it harder to keep her eyes open.

"Katara, you need to give the driver your address..."

He shook her arm, and she swatted his hand away, snuggling against the car's door to make herself more comfortable. "I don't need to give you anything, stalker!"

"Quit fooling around—"

"Go away and let me sleep!"

Zuko's deep sigh was the last thing she heard before her eyelids closed all the way and the world disappeared.

.

Her brain wobbled inside her skull with every step, but she was not the one moving. Zuko was. And the excruciating pain didn't even let her appreciate how he seemed to emanate waves of heat, or how nice it felt to nuzzle her frozen nose against his neck. She groaned, trying to compact herself, a task hard to accomplish hoisted on his back as she was.

"Stop squirming, you're heavy enough as it is," he huffed.

"I will make you rescind that—" Her head moved too fast, and the nausea returned. "... As soon as the room stops spinning."

"Shut up before you make yourself sick again."

.

"So this is where the devil lives…"

Katara walked around his living room, hands on her back like she was an art critic at a gallery opening. His apartment was very tidy, almost scaryly tidy, but before she could point that out, a ball of fabric was hitting her face, making her nose sting. She looked down at the sweatshirt and pants Zuko had thrown at her in confusion.

"You stink," he said, then left.

"Gee, thanks," Katara grumbled despite not having anyone there to hear her. She sniffed her blouse, ready to fight him, but he was right. She reeked of sweat, cigarettes, and vomit, and not even she could stand her own stench.

She stripped down to her panties and put on the oversized sweatshirt, but when she tried to put her legs through the pants holes, she almost fell on her face, so she decided to go without. Zuko's shirt was long enough to cover all parts of her body that needed covering anyway...

Parched, Katara dragged herself in the kitchen's direction, where she ran into Zuko again. She shoved him out of the way and leaned over the sink, the tips of her hair getting wet as she slurped cold water straight from the tap.

"Classy," he mocked.

She straightened up, wiping the droplets of water running down her chin with her sleeve. She pointed at the smeared makeup on the collar of his once pristine white shirt, ignoring the fact that the lipstick was probably hers, and countered, "You're one to talk."

Zuko tugged on his shirt to look at it and groaned. "You gotta be kidding me. My favorite shirt…" He worked on the buttons, still complaining under his breath as he left the room.

A faucet started running somewhere—Zuko probably trying to get rid of the stains, she figured—, and she listened to the gurgling of the water for a moment. Probably not a good idea, because the sound relaxed her mind too much, making her sleepy again. She muffled a yawn, sliding to sit on the floor. The tiles were hard and cold, but she did not have the energy to get back on her feet. She curled into a ball, hugging her knees, and lied on her side.

Katara sighed. Her eyes closed.

.

"The hell are you doing on the floor?!"

Zuko's snarl startled her awake, the accusing tone making her skin crawl and her shoulders stiffen. She covered her ears with her arms and shut her eyes tighter, trying to tune the rest of the world out.

"Katara, you can't sleep here." His voice softened, and she felt his fingers lightly grazing the hair that had fallen over her face. "Get up, please."

"Mmmm…"

.

Her eyes reopened when he was lying her down on the mattress, arms securely wrapped around her frame to hold her weight. The bed sank under her and his body hovered over hers for a moment. Her knuckles scraped his bare torso, making her brazenly aware of the contrast between her cold fingers and his scorching flesh. He started to stand up, but she pulled him back to the bed, tugging on his arm and keeping her only source of warmth well within reach.

Zuko leaned next to her, making sure to keep his torso elevated with an arm on her pillow. He whispered hoarsely, "What are you doing now?"

"I'm cold…"

"I'll get you another blanket—"

"No need."

Her limbs tangled with his before he could move, and slowly, she felt the tension leaving his muscles. He relaxed, an arm slung over her protectively, and she drifted off again.


Sokka convinces everyone to go out with him because apparently, his favorite pub is having a 'buy one get one' appetizer night, and he is committed to ordering as many dishes as his wallet (and his dear coworkers') will allow him to.

"Ugh. Can you believe that?" Katara scoffs behind her drink.

Somehow, she and Zuko end up sitting next to each other again. That seems to be a recurring setup when it comes to after-work outings, not that he's complaining.

Zuko follows her gaze to the other end of the table, where Sokka is ravishing a portion of chicken wings with both hands. Sticky brown sauce drips down his chin, and an annoyed-looking Suki chastises his lack of manners as she tries to wipe the smudges from her boyfriend's face with a napkin... Why Katara is jealous of her brother's inability to eat without making a mess baffles him.

"You want chicken wings too?" he guesses, raising his hand as he looks around for their waiter.

"Not that, doofus," Katara hisses, tugging his hand down.

Zuko narrows his eyes. He thinks some more, looking back at Sokka again, but can't come up with any reasonable conclusion. "You lost me."

"Let's go play darts."

Katara gets up and strides to the dartboards lined along the wall before he can utter a single word of protest. And he goes after her because he'll be in a lot more trouble if he doesn't.

She moves into position, takes a second to aim, and throws the first dart, but it doesn't even hit the board; the second doesn't do that much better, and the third barely sticks to the outer ring.

Crossing his arms, he tilts his head and smirks at her. "I figured you'd at least be good at this since you wanted to play."

"I'd like to see you doing any better, hot stuff," she retorts with a roll of eyes.

Zuko shrugs then takes his turn. He breathes in slowly as he adjusts his stance. Testing the projectile's weight between his fingers, he aims carefully and throws one projectile after the other. The last one almost hits the bullseye, and he hears Katara sucking in a breath.

"How did you do that?"

"Beginner's luck."

He goes to the board and retrieves their darts. When he turns back, Katara is seething. Whatever sour mood she was in before is merely fueled by competitiveness, and it makes him fear the worst. To appease her, he takes her hand and gently pries her fist open, letting his thumb stroke her wrist for a moment. Her eyes narrow with suspicion, but his smile only widens as he lets go of her and encourages her to try another throw.

She does, and unsatisfied with the results, Katara throws her arms up and groans.

Amused by her genuine frustration, Zuko shakes his head and steps behind her. Lining his eye level with hers, he says, "You have to look at where you're throwing it."

She turns her face to glare at him, her hair tickling his neck as she moves. "I am."

"Well, look harder." He puts a hand on her hip and adjusts her stance dutifully. His other hand goes to her elbow to correct the angle of her bent arm. With his lips barely grazing the shell of her ear, he whispers, "Tip the dart a little bit up and try to align it with the board using your right eye."

Katara smirks, leaning back into his chest slightly. "Your teaching methods are kinda questionable, Zuko."

"You know, I was thinking the same thing."

Zuko hurriedly pulls his hands back and jumps away from Katara. With his arms still frozen in the air, he looks behind him, and a chill runs down his spine. He shudders. "Sokka."

Soka avoids his eyes, focusing solely on his sister. His face is blank, an eerie contrast from the usually so expressive guy, and Zuko somehow knows that he's in trouble. "The octopus arrived. You said you wanted to try it."

"Right…" Katara glances uncertainly between the other two.

"Zuko and I will play another round if you don't mind," Sokka says.

"I guess I don't," she mumbles, walking around her brother. Katara stops for a second, her eyes meeting Zuko's one last time, and she gives him an encouraging smile before making her way back to their table.

Once they are left alone, Sokka wordlessly splits the darts between himself and Zuko, and a new game is started. They keep alternating their throws, and when it's Sokka's turn again, he takes a long moment aiming, moving the dart back and forth, calculating its trajectory with care. "Aren't you gonna fix my posture like you did to my sister?"

Zuko stares at the back of his friend's head, dumbfounded. His fists open and close. "... Do you want me to?"

"I happen to have a girlfriend, sir!" Sokka gasps, his voice somehow exaggeratedly stupefied and dead at the same time. He spins around, and his expression is questioning. "And so do you apparently."

"About that…" Zuko runs a finger through the hairs on the back of his head, not knowing what to say next. He knew this moment would eventually come, but there was nothing he could do to prepare for the confrontation. As one of the very few real friends he has ever made, Zuko esteems Sokka's opinion very much. The idea that Sokka's disapproval could tarnish their friendship gives Zuko immeasurable fright, and that is without adding Katara to the equation.

"I always knew you were a weird guy," Sokka says. "But I never expected you to like my weird sister."

"Is this where you tell me I should stay away from her?"

"Nah. Katara can take care of herself." Sokka's face breaks into a mischievous smirk and he throws an arm around Zuko's shoulders and gives the latter a noogie. "Besides, you're my boy, I gotta look after you too."

With Sokka leaning on him, Zuko's shoulders sag as he laughs weakly. "This is not how I expected this conversation to go..."

"You're a good guy, Zuko. You gotta stop thinking that the whole world is out to get you." His arm tightens around Zuko's neck as he starts leading them back to their friends. "But you should know that if you fuck up, I will kick your ass so hard you're gonna need a new one. And also, don't kiss her in front of me. That's an image I don't need, thank you very much."

"Got it…"

"Now let's go see what those octopus skewers are all about!"


Day 6: Spirits

Probably the loosest use of a prompt so far...