Summary: There were many things Zuko was afraid of, but a wrinkled old lady dressed in a blue parka and fur was definitely not one of them. Nope. Definitely not.

AN: silly little story that actually has zutara. yay!
I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything else you recognize.

As Zuko descended from his ship, clad in heavy armor and surrounded by guards, he felt a sense of deja vu. The first time he had stepped onto the frigid plains of the Southern Water Tribe, he had been a perpetually pissed, confused, and brash sixteen-year-old. He had thought his honor was something his father could give him, and had seen the Avatar as just a means to an end. He had plowed down Sokka's shoddy watchtower and treated the boy like a pest. How far they had come since then - Sokka and Aang were now his best friends. He grinned a little as he thought of his other best friend. He hadn't even really noticed her back then, but now, every time he thought of that day, he remembered perfectly how pretty she had looked, standing defiantly with expanses of ice at her back.

Today, Zuko was stepping onto an ice dock as a 22-year-old and looking with awe at the infrastructure of the Southern Water Tribe. He wondered how much of it had been constructed by the love of his life, who was now running into his arms as if lured merely by his thoughts of her.

"Zuko!"

"Katara!" He spun her around one, two, three times before setting the giggling girl down and burying his head in her loose hair.

"It's been so long," she whined.

"You're the one who left me! Some ambassador you are, running away from the Fire Nation first chance you get." She punched him for that.

"I had to help Sokka prepare for the wedding, you know that. He's driving Suki crazy with all his 'planning'," Katara said using her fingers to signify quotation marks. "His planning just consists of all the different foods he wants to eat and how he wants them to be arranged. I'm this close to calling in a favor from Chong and having 'Secret Tunnel' play while they get married. Suki actually likes them, so maybe that's not a totally bad idea."

Zuko smiled as he tucked his head into his favorite spot between her jaw and shoulder. He could listen to her ramble all day.

"-and then he said, 'Katara, I need you to make a 40-foot-tall statue of Suki and me in the middle of the village.' Is he out of his mind? What makes him think I'll have time to do that? Or even the snow to do that?"

"You can do anything you put your mind to, love," he mumbled.

"Yeah, well I'm not putting my mind to a dumb project like that. Maybe I'll make them a miniature sculpture as a wedding gift. That would be nice."

"Mmm, yes, that would."

Katara sighed. "I missed you, Zuko."

He tightened his arms around her. "I missed you more, Katara. I don't know what I'm doing without you." He felt her cheeks stretch and heard a smile in her voice.

"You know, your warmth has really spoiled me. I started feeling cold when I came back here. Can you believe that? A daughter of the Southern Water Tribe, feeling cold!"

"I'll keep you warm for as long as you want."

"Well, aren't you feeling sappy today? And stop speaking into my neck, that tickles!"

"No."

"Hmph. Come on, your guards are blushing at our public display."

"They're prudes."

"Come on , Zuko!" He allowed himself to be tugged into the village and was greeted by a panicking Sokka.

"Zuko, my man, there you are! Come here, I need your help wi-"

"No, Sokka, get someone else to do your chores. Zuko's coming with me."

"Aw, Katara, really? You're gonna keep a man away from his best friend?"

"I'm gonna keep a man with his girlfriend. Go bother your own."

Zuko shrugged his shoulders helplessly and mouthed "Sorry," as Katara continued dragging him away. Sokka shook his head and muttered something along the lines of "girls these days," before trotting off in the general direction of Suki.

"Where are we going, Katara?" She shot him a mischievous grin that simultaneously stopped his heart and scared the pants off of him.

"There's someone who wants to talk to you." He ran through a mental list of people he knew in the South Pole. It wasn't Sokka, it wasn't Suki, Katara was right here...maybe it was Chief Hakoda? He took a deep breath. Chief Hakoda had stepped into a role, not unlike Uncle Iroh, of being a sort of foster parent to Zuko. As Fire Lord, he often found himself emulating the dignity and intelligence that Katara's father constantly displayed. But he was well aware of the fact that fathers were protective of their daughters, and so he prayed that this wouldn't be too painful.

Katara abruptly stopped in front of a small igloo and pushed him towards the opening lightly. "Go on, she's been waiting for you." She? As he pushed aside the fur curtain to enter a room, Zuko's mind raced. He didn't know any other girls in the Southern Water Tribe. Who could she…

Oh. Zuko froze as a woman with gray hair and a resemblance to Katara looked up at him from her seat next to a low table. This is not going to go well. Stupid, stupid, stupid 16-year-old Zuko, grabbing random old women!

"Don't just stand there and gawk, boy. Sit!" He gulped and obeyed.

"Good afternoon, Lady Kanna." Can she tell I'm shaking? Agni, help me.

"Hmm. You've really filled out since the last time I saw you."

Zuko blushed fiercely at the reminder of who he had been 6 years ago. "Th-thank you."

"So, how old do you think I am?" What on earth? Is this a trick question? Okay, just play it safe.

"Not a day over 60."

"Really? Because the last time we met, you said the Avatar would be close to my age. Remind me, boy, how long did the Avatar disappear for?"

"100 years," he muttered.

"Exactly. So you think I'm over 100?"

"N-no. I just- just needed an example. And I'm so, so sorry for grabbing you the way I did. I really- I was so stupid back then and I'm sorry that was the first impression I made on you."

"The first impression you made on me was that you were too skinny. The second was that you're quite handsome, young man." Now Zuko's cheeks were on fire. Kanna laughed heartily. "You'll be good for my Katara. She needs someone she can boss around." Can this glacier just swallow me whole? Yes, she has a point, but spirits, this is so embarrassing. "Ah, don't look like that. You were intending to ask for my approval at some point, yes? Well, I've given it. Not that Katara would have needed it, no one could make her marry you if she didn't want to. No one could make her do anything she didn't want to. She takes after me and her mother in that way."

"Th-thank you, Lady Kanna. I will never, ever hurt Katara - I treasure her. She will never want for anything in the Fire Nation, and she already knows that she doesn't even have to ask to come to her home here at any time."

"Please, boy, we'll be family. You will call me Gran-Gran. I already know you won't hurt her. I'm old, not blind. And I imagine her home is wherever you are now, but it's good to know I'll still see her from time to time. You're a good man, Fire Lord Zuko, and I'm glad Katara chose you as her betrothed." Betrothed? How did she know? I haven't even asked Katara...wait, did she say Katara chose me?

"Lady...Gran-Gran, just Zuko is fine. Thank you so much." His head had been bowed for half the conversation, so he was startled when there was a clunk on the table in front of him.

"Come on, eat up. You are still far too skinny to give me strong, healthy grandbabies." He choked on his soup as Kanna smirked at him in only the way people with her blood could.

AN: I hope this story brought a smile to your face! happy to hear your thoughts, and of course, thank you to the Guest who left a review on the last chapter - it made my day - as well as everyone who has favorited/followed.

I love how Kanna showed up for like 10 minutes and we all collectively agreed she's a total badass.

current mood: freaking out over Avatar studios! I mean, I could do without the kataang content but honestly, I'm just excited for the new stories. the romance was never the main aspect anyway.

"no one could make her [Katara] marry you if she didn't want to," I say as I write a zk arranged marriage au. speaking of which, chapter 3 of You Knew It Was Me is up! check it out, if you are so inclined.

okay now that the shameless self-promo is done, I leave you with this hc that wouldn't stop pestering me: Jun listens to Demi Lovato. You're welcome.