"C'mon, Zuko, we don't wanna be late!" Katara called as she flew past him, headed for their closet.
Zuko couldn't help but chuckle. "Katara, Pride doesn't start till another three hours."
"Yeah, but what if something horrible happens like a traffic jam? Or we run out of gas? Or a meteor just so happens to decide to strike-"
"Katara, Katara, look at me," Zuko said as he steadied his jumpy girlfriend. Her eyes bounced around like a pinball before finally meeting Zuko's. She took a breath before she finally calmed down. "We're going to be fine, I promise. Nothing's going to happen and we're going to make it there on time."
"I know," Katara whined and looked down at the floor. "But this is our very first Pride Parade! I want everything to be perfect!"
"I think even a traffic jam isn't enough to stop you from getting to where you wanna go," Zuko pointed out. "Need I remind you one time you were caught up in traffic and it was the premiere of Avengers: Infinity War , you were so determined you actually got out of the car and walked all the way to the theater?"
Katara chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I think my biggest achievement was actually convincing you to go to Pride with me."
Throughout last week, Katara had done so many things in order to finally convince Zuko to go to Pride with her. She'd sung "All By Myself" by Celine Dion, but emphasized that all the "by"s were actually "bi"; She'd said she'd go with him to that crappy hole-in-the-wall Indonesian takeout place he loves so much; She even promised to polish his dao swords for a whole month. What had finally convinced him wasn't any persuading or bribery from Katara, but something outside of that that made him have a change of heart. When he finally told her he wanted to go, Katara had been overjoyed and smugly told him that it was her amazing haggling skills. Oh, if only she'd known.
"Maybe it'll be good for me," Zuko said. "God only knows that I've come a long way with accepting that part of me after what happened."
Ozai had thrown Zuko out because he found out he liked guys. It was a little before he met Katara, he was talking to a boy online and Ozai had happened to snoop and read Zuko's messages. Zuko knew his father hated him and was just looking for an excuse to get rid of him, but that didn't take away any amount of pain he felt when he heard the front door slam shut. He remembered sobbing all the way to his uncle Iroh's house and breaking down even more when Iroh had asked him why he was there so late at night. He explained everything and Iroh held onto Zuko until he was ready to be let go of. Iroh then offered Zuko to stay with him as long as he needed. That was seven years ago, and now Zuko had his own apartment that both him and Katara supported living in.
"I know," Katara soothed as she continued to trace circles along Zuko's back. "Not everyone can have the best experience dealing with coming out to relatives."
Katara's family hadn't been worse, but not much better. Hakoda had been confused when Katara had first told him that she liked both guys and girls, but didn't really make the effort to understand it. Kanna had told her that she shouldn't go flaunting it around in such a way that would draw attention. She'd said that people have a tendency to . . . talk. Katara still didn't really know her stance on it since her grandmother tended to be tart. When she told Sokka he'd ask her if she'd kissed any girls before, and then didn't even wait for an answer before fantasizing about two girls making out, much to Katara's grimace. She wondered what her mother would've said if she were still alive. Katara liked to believe her mother would support her no matter who she loved.
"But we have each other, and that's what counts," she continued. "We'll love and support each other no matter what crosses our paths."
"I wouldn't want it any other way."
Katara smiled before she pressed a kiss to his lips. She tasted a hint of coconut from his lip balm and broke away. "Now, let's get ready so we can get an early start."
Over the next few minutes, Katara painted both their cheeks with the bisexual pride flag. She made him put on one of the blue, purple, and pink flower crowns she'd ordered as well. He gazed at himself in the mirror and kept turning his head to look at his face paint. Zuko knew Katara never messed around when preparing for events, but he didn't think he'd look so . . . bisexual. Katara joined him in the mirror with her grin taking up most of her face. She wrapped her arms around his and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Once the both of them had their outfits together, the two of them piled into their car and headed to the parade.
When they'd finally arrived and found a place to park, Katara burst out of the car and practically sped to where the parade was happening. Zuko had to jog to keep up with her. When he finally caught up to her, Katara was mesmerized by all the bright colors of the rainbow. Drag queens walked in massive heels and even bigger wigs, flags of many orientations waved in the wind, trans masculine people proudly showing off their top surgery scars, and many diverse couples scattered around. There was a wave of contentment in Zuko as he couldn't help but smile at the positive energy from everyone.
Katara wrapped her bisexual flag she'd bought around them like a blanket. Zuko pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"Hey, I have something for you," he said.
Katara broke her attention away from the parade and quirked her brow when Zuko took a black box from his jean pocket. He opened it to reveal two charm bracelets, one pink with half a purple stripe, and the other blue with half a purple stripe. Katara's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "I, I know how much Pride Month means to you," Zuko said as he rubbed the back of his neck, unable to meet her gaze. "And I understand that it's not just for the fun parade and colors. When I saw these bracelets it made me realize how important it is for us to be proud of who we are, and that we shouldn't hide it. It might be cliché, but I wanted to get something meaningful for the both of us, and-"
Katara pressed a kiss to Zuko's lips. She giggled when his expression shifted to one of surprise. "You're cute when you ramble," she said, and earned a blush from him. "And thank you, Zuko. I love them."
Zuko smiled and kissed her again, this time it lasted longer. He subconsciously wrapped his hands around her waist while Katara ran her hands through his hair. When they broke apart they touched foreheads and both of them couldn't believe how much in love they were with each other. Eventually they broke apart and focused their attention on the charm bracelets. "I call blue!" Katara said. Zuko chuckled. Always going for her favorite color. They took their respective sides and slipped them onto their wrists. The silver chain sparkled in the sunlight as the charms dangled. Katara took both their charms, put them together, and created a full bisexual pride flag. Katara couldn't wipe the grin that had spread across her face, and even a few tears came to her eyes. She gazed up at Zuko and both their eyes and smiles met.
"Love is love, and I love you."
"And I love you."
