A/N: this is pure cringe so if you don't like that perhaps try another fic LMAO anyway hope everyone's doing alright!
They weren't even off the boat before Zuko started shivering.
This time, someone with a brain thought to warn him about what he was going to be faced with, but that still didn't prepare him enough. Visiting Katara — and Sokka and Hakoda, of course — was unnerving enough, but this new, vicious climate seemed like it was out to get him. The icy winds seemed to know he was a firebender, they seemed to want to drive him away. Maybe they were doing him a favor, telling him not to embarrass himself.
He planted his feet stubbornly on the deck of his ship, where he had been camped out since they first spotted land through the fog, to show that he wasn't going anywhere.
Iroh shook his head at his stubborn nephew. "Zuko! At least come inside for a moment to drink some tea, it will warm you from the inside out."
"I-I'm fine," Zuko insisted, but no one could miss the way his teeth chattered.
"You standing outside will not make this ship go any faster, my nephew."
"Yeah, if only that were the case," he grit through his teeth. He had been itching to see the waterbender that had captured his heart only a few months ago and he was determined to catch sight of her as soon as they got close enough.
His resilience soon paid off when tiny figures cloaked in blue materialized through the gray fog. They seemed to spot each other at the same time because one of them started waving widely and another began jumping up and down in place. Zuko waved back, hoping they could make him out against the dark ship.
They didn't stop waving until the ship docked against the thick ice. Zuko ran up against the railing, smiling at his friends standing waiting for him. He was truly happy to have a good relationship with the Southern Water Tribe. Hopefully they could chip away at those chilly folks up north…
He started rushing to walk off the boat, but promptly slipped on an ice patch and fell directly on his bottom. Yeah, great, this was going super well already. He could hear Sokka and Katara's laughter so he shook his head, stood up and wiped himself off.
When he finally made it to dry land (if ice can be considered dry), he was immediately gathered up in a hug. Okay, okay, so he wasn't just imagining it. These people were his friends.
"It's good to see you, buddy," Sokka clapped him on the back.
Katara nodded and his heart ached at the way her blue eyes were even more stunning in person than he remembered. "I'm so glad you could make it."
He bowed, "Thank you for having me." When Iroh elbowed him he remembered, "Oh and we brought gifts."
Some of the gifts were practical, like things you could only get on the mainland, some were fun. And if Zuko had added some official courting symbols like a comb with a fire lily carving, then so what! No one would be the wiser.
"Your generosity only strengthens the bond between our nations. We're flattered and grateful," Hakoda said.
Zuko was about to say something else diplomatic in return when he noticed small white flakes started obscuring his vision. They fell from the sky as far as the eye could see. "What..is this?" he asked in confusion.
"Oh wow, I forgot you've never seen snow before!" Katara watched amusedly as Zuko stuck his palms out and tried grasping the dainty flakes before they melted on his warm skin.
"This is the first time," he confirmed. "It's very beautiful." His amber eyes were wide with wonder and Katara was pleased that something so simple yet so classic about her home could impress him.
"Try sticking your tongue out," Sokka said. Zuko followed quickly and the siblings laughed when he grew frustrated at the way the snow seemed to fall everywhere but on his tongue.
Katara grabbed Zuko's wrist, "Come on, you can taste it better over here!" She pulled him away and stopped about half way between where his boat was docked and the village. They were surrounded by untouched white fluff and nothing else. Sokka had stayed behind to poke around the Fire Nation ship and Hakoda was cracking dad jokes with Iroh.
They were totally alone. Not that Katara had planned it, no way, she just figured Zuko would enjoy a moment of privacy. With her. Yeah.
She scooped up a pile of snow and instructed him to do the same. With Katara's encouragement he took a big bite out of the snow. "Why does something...that tastes like nothing...taste so good?"
"Welcome to the Southern Water Tribe," she gestured grandly, "we've got plenty more where that came from."
Zuko grinned. The snow was so soft and fresh and cold and unlike anything he had ever seen before! "I like it here," he declared.
Katara suddenly grew shy and turned around for a moment, pretending to become fascinated with a random pile of powder.
Thump.
She spun around in horror to see Sokka's mouth hanging wide open because he had nailed the Fire Lord in the face with a snowball.
Zuko was still for a moment, confused by the mass of snow sticking to his face. But then he started laughing. Laughing so hard that the rest of them couldn't help but join in until their stomachs hurt.
"Snowball fight!" Sokka hollered.
After they wore themselves out and flopped onto the ground to make a few snow angels, they finally made their way to the actual place Katara and Sokka called home.
As they got closer and closer to the small (but growing!) cluster of homes, Katara grew nervous. What would Zuko think of the Southern Water Tribe? Maybe he'd be disappointed by the lack of grandeur. Maybe he should've visited the Northern Water Tribe. Maybe he'd see Katara's people as peasants.
Her breath caught in her throat when he looked at her kindly and said, "It must be nice that you're able to know all the people in your tribe." Then he was whisked away by Gran Gran for the warmest Southern Water Tribe welcome he could get.
She finally relaxed. Home was home, but she had never considered what a visitor might think of it. Similarly, she never thought about what she had that the Fire Nation might be missing. It must get a little lonely in that big palace.
Zuko got an extremely Official tour of the Southern Water Tribe from Katara. She pointed out where everyone lived, where she first discovered she could waterbend, where Sokka lost a tooth biting an icicle.
Describing some of their traditions came next; at first it was tough to explain what was all Katara had ever known, but she assumed everything was new to Zuko, so she continued patiently. He nodded frequently to show her he was listening but otherwise didn't interrupt.
After finishing explaining their coming-of-age ceremonies, they had circled back to her family's tent and she exhaled, "Whew, that was a lot. Are you still with me?"
"I didn't know most of that," he admitted with a tinge of embarrassment and twice as much awe.
She shrugged. "I didn't expect you to."
"We'll put it in the textbooks," he declared.
Katara laughed at his bravado, but then remembered he really had the power to do that. So young with so much weight on his shoulders.
"Glad to hear it. Come on, I think it's time to eat soon. Hopefully you like sea prunes!" Seriously, if he didn't like sea prunes he was in big trouble.
After a yummy dinner they sat behind her family's tent, looking up at the clear night sky. Katara pointed out the constellations she knew, relaying the stories Gran Gran had told her. Zuko's interest in Southern Water Tribe culture undeniably made her happy, proud.
"I hope it's alright that I'm here," Zuko said seriously after a while. With the dark history of the Southern Raiders, he couldn't help but feel like he was intruding no matter how good his intentions were.
"It is with me. Trust me, you wouldn't have gotten off that boat if it wasn't okay," she snorted. Before, Katara used to think if she had just been stronger, smarter, braver she could have helped. Growing up feeling deep guilt for her mother's death pushed her to train hard everyday. She was more confident now, knowing that she honored Kya's memory by being the best damn waterbender the Tribe had ever seen. She could protect the people who needed her. And she could even find a friend in the Fire Nation.
His shoulders relaxed but he still poured all of his genuine energy into saying, "It's truly an honor to be here."
She nodded. "Thank you for saying that." They sat in silence for a while longer with the clear sky keeping them company.
Now that the tension had melted away, a different kind of nervousness built up inside of Katara. "So…" she began slowly, meandering around her point, "you like it here?"
"Yes," he answered quickly, looking directly into her eyes.
"Good, I'm glad," she said sincerely.
"It's just kind of, uh, cold."
"Yeah, it's like that all the time. Um, how about now?" She chuckled nervously then decided to make a bold move and scoot closer to him until their sides were touching. When her heart skipped a beat, she wondered why in the world she did that. Be cool, be cool!
He didn't even allow much time for her to regret it because he started talking right away. "Body heat is very effective, yes," he nodded vigorously even though she hadn't asked him a yes or no question.
"Yes, it is," she agreed distractedly. "Zuko…you can, can we, do you want to-"
And then he went for it.
He leaned his face closer to hers and bumped...uhh some part of her face with his mouth. "Did I do it?" he wondered out loud. It was awkward and clumsy and not at all what he had hoped for, but they could only go up from here. Maybe he could pass it off as a sweet peck on the cheek?
"Your lips are a little blue," she pointed out as she tried suppressing a fit of giggles. He really wasn't built for the cold, was he?
Zuko tugged at one of her sleeves, "No, you're blue."
She laughed behind her hand, touching her own lips to test their level of warmth. "We can try again." Even if the kiss was nothing to write home about, he was Zuko and she just felt comfortable.
Unfortunately, Sokka's voice sounded through the wall at that moment, "I can hear you, you know. Can you two get on with it already?"
"Then stop listening!" Katara grit her teeth and based on the sound of his garbled yelp, she must have bended some snow to stuff his ears. Normally, she was grateful for her close relationship with her brother, but right now, all she wanted was some space from him.
She buried her face in her gloves, "Sorry about him."
"What's a guy gotta do to get some privacy? Go to the Earth Kingdom?" Zuko cried out.
This helped lift Katara's mood; she didn't think Zuko realized how unintentionally funny he was. She nudged him, "Not a bad idea. I've never been there. Tell me how it is."
And for all the progress they had made, Zuko still blushed and scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Uhh, why don't you just come with me and find out? I'm headed there pretty soon, actually."
It was a nice thought, but she couldn't help but put her guard up. "And do what exactly? I mean, who even am I outside of this place?" She didn't mean to sound so existential, but this was all she ever knew.
"It's up to you. Be whoever you want to be."
She chewed her lip and tilted her head thoughtfully. "Well what do you think? What would we do in the Earth Kingdom, for example?" She had a feeling he didn't suggest a trip all the way across the world only as a fun little visit.
"Do what you did in there." He nodded his head towards the tent where they just finished dinner. He was amazed at the way Katara could advocate so passionately for her interests — and everyone listened. If she did that at just a normal dinner, she would be a force to be reckoned with if she had a little time to prepare for a real political arena.
"If we're to live in a fair world..well we need representation from all nations. There's a leaders' summit in Ba Sing Se a few weeks away and I can't think of someone better to represent the Southern Water Tribe." He had only just come up with the idea, but the more he mulled it over, the better it sounded. The summit part was true, but the organizers had not extended an invitation to the Southern Water Tribe, which was problematic for obvious reasons. Ready or not, Katara was coming.
Katara nodded slowly. It wasn't a bad idea. No, it was a great one.
"And that's not all," Zuko added. "You could still practice bending and stuff." And stuff. Yeah, very convincing.
But that did appeal to her and make her even more excited about the idea. "The only thing is, I have to ask my family."
Hakoda was all for it. No way he was letting the Northern Water Tribe speak for his people! He thought it best to remain in the village for the time being. He had full faith in Katara. And Gran Gran? She thought it was about time.
Sokka thought it was such a great idea that he wanted to tag along. Yay! It wasn't like three's a crowd or anything!
A/N: hope this wasn't too corny ajkdajsk but then again if u look at my track record, I mostly live for fluff so..idc xD, if you will
I feel like Zuko has so much respect for Katara so even if this is pure fluff the "Katara is only used as a romantic interest" thing doesn't sit right with me! So ambassador Katara is here!