Sshh-Whack

Sshh-Whack

Sshh-Whack

Zuko narrowed his focus to the mushrooms in front of him, doing his best to keep from accidentally slicing off one of his fingertips.

Sshh-Whack

Sshh-Whack

He finished the last mushroom and set the pile aside to begin mincing the garlic and ginger.

PUT put put put PUT put put put

Standing in the familiar kitchen always brought back memories of the summer before Sozin's comet, when he and his friends hid out in the house while he trained Aang in firebending. It was here, under Katara's instruction, that he had learned to make the soup he was preparing tonight. And it was here, in this kitchen, that they grew to understand each other.

PUT put put put PUT put put put

Though he did his best to focus on the garlic, after he found his rhythm with the knife Zuko's mind drifted back to that summer. Memories flashed through his mind.

One time, Sokka and Suki insisted on cooking dinner, but they both were terrible cooks. Zuko and Katara ended up scrambling to throw something together that night. Another time Toph riled up Momo so much he kept running under, over and around their cooking supplies every few seconds. Katara chased him outside three times before they could get any real work done. Or that time Aang walked in on Zuko and Katara…..

PUT PUT… put… put PUT put… put

Once Zuko finished mincing, he took a moment to flip the roasting chicken, ensuring it was almost ready. Satisfied with the progression of the chicken, he switched to the broth. Zuko used his bending to heat up the oil in his prepared pot. When it began to shimmer, he added the ginger and garlic, stirring frequently to make sure they softened without burning. He inhaled deeply the scent of the aromatics, and when the smell overtook the room he added the soy sauce and mirin. He stirred in the chicken stock, careful to ensure mixing with the sauce, and brought it to a boil. Once he brought the broth down to a gentle simmer, he removed the chicken from the heat, covering it with a cloth to keep it warm. He then went to cut the noodles.

"Why do you do that?" he asked Katara as they worked, "Aren't they ready to eat as is?"

"Sure, but if we cut them up Sokka and Aang can't slurp as much," she said in an exasperated tone, the mere mention of their dinner etiquette awakening her motherly nature.

"Oh," he said, feeling a little like he had been scolded for something he should have known before an idea popped in his head. "But if Sokka slurps his noodles, Suki might avoid him after dinner?"

Katara tilted her head in thought, an unreadable expression crossing her face as she considered the option, considered him, before shrugging. "Worth a shot," she said as she turned to start boiling the eggs.

SssssssSssssssSssssss

His pot of water hissed that it was ready for the eggs, drawing him back out of his memories. He gently placed the eggs in the rolling water, flipped an hourglass timer, and prepared an ice bath, the familiar motions pulling him under another wave of nostalgia.

Turns out, Suki could still hang all over Sokka, even after watching him slurp up three bowlfuls of long noodles. Katara seemed a little disappointed (he knew she didn't love her brother's obnoxious displays of PDA) but still gave him a small smile.

"It was a good idea," she whispered as they cleaned up, "we just underestimated Suki's tolerance for my brother," and she smiled up at him like they were sharing a secret.

DING!

Zuko carefully fished the eggs from the water and placed them in the ice bath. He added the noodles to the boiling water and reset the bell on the hourglass. While the eggs cooled, he chopped the scallions and peppers for toppings.

"I know he's not always the easiest student, but I think you're doing amazing with Aang," Katara complimented him one night as he stood over the stove, preparing stir fry under her watchful eye. He almost dropped the wok though, flustering under her praise.

"Oh! … Uh, thanks, Katara," he finally mustered, hoping she blamed his flush on the heat.

DING!

He removed the pot of noodles from the heat and then readied his knife to carve the chicken.

"You know you don't have to help me," Katara said one evening as she gathered dishes to set the table, "you already do so much more than the others to help out."

"Yeah, but not as much as you," he said under his breath. He didn't mean for her to hear it, but from her sharp intake of breath, he guessed she did. He did his best to remain focused on the vegetables he was cutting up for Aang's separate vegetarian meal, trying to pretend his face wasn't turning as red as his tunic. He found it difficult to avoid eye contact though when she walked over and placed her hand on his scarred cheek.

"Zuko I…." she trailed off, and he set down his knife and turned to face her, bringing one of his hands to cover hers that was still on his cheek. He met her too-blue eyes as his other hand made its way to her waist, moving without him having any control over it, so entranced by her eyes.

"Yes?" he asked, already tilting his head down a little. Their faces mere inches apart, he watched her eyes flit down to his lips and back up to his eyes before she started to lean in towards him, bringing her other hand up to his shoulder.

"I…"

"Katara?" Aang called out from just outside the kitchen. She shot back from him as if she was burned by hot oil.

"Daddy?" he heard a small voice call out, probably from the same spot Aang had occupied so long ago. He made sure to put out the flames on the stove before heading down the hall.

"Yes, dear?" he answered, scooping his four-year old into his arms. Izumi let out a shriek of laughter before settling herself against his side. She clung to him as he returned to the kitchen to finish assembling their meal.

"Is dinner almost ready? I'm hungry," she pouted, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Almost Zumi, we just have to assemble it. Here, you can help me," he said as he sat her on the edge of the island in the middle of the kitchen. Izumi brightened a little at the idea of helping. For as long as it lasted, Zuko appreciated every moment of this 'help mommy and daddy' phase Izumi seemed stuck in. He hoped to continue being the type of parent she wanted to help for as long as possible.

He sat out three bowls and scooped broth and noodles into each of them, before carefully placing pieces of chicken on top.

"You have to be careful not to drop your fingers in the soup," he warned, "it's really hot and I don't want you to get burned."

She nodded solemnly with wide eyes before asking, "Do I have to set the table tonight?" with a wrinkle of disgust in her nose, an uncanny gesture she picked up from her mom. His heart clenched at the sight.

"No, my love, we are going to have dinner with mom tonight. Here, see how I peel the shell? Can you do that for these eggs?"

Her tiny face split into a wide grin as she nodded. He chuckled under his breath as he sliced the peeled eggs she handed to him.

"Perfect, now let's carefully place them on top, next to the chicken, like this," he said as he demonstrated with the last egg. He held his breath as he watched Izumi carefully place the eggs on top of the other two bowls.

"Absolutely beautiful. Chef will be recruiting you to work in the kitchen before you know it!" he teased, tickling the end of Izumi's nose. She giggled and swatted his hand away.

"Daddy! We can't forget the peppers!" she exclaimed.

"That's right, and don't forget to mention it to Mommy," he internally gloated. While Izumi sprinkled peppers on top of her bowl, Zuko quickly retrieved a tray and chop sticks. After assembling the last two bowls, he stacked all three on the tray. He lifted Izumi up off the counter and over his head, eliciting a shriek of laughter, before gently placing her on the ground. He picked up the tray and gestured for Izumi to follow him.

"C'mon, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty hungry," he said as he moved down the hall towards the bedrooms.

"I'm not hungry Daddy I'm STARVING!" she proclaimed, and Zuko snickered at her theatrics. He remembered his days roaming the Earth Kingdom alone, the spike of hunger plaguing him every night before bed, and prayed that his daughter would never truly know that pain.

"Why are we having dinner in the bedroom?" she asked once they rounded the corner.

"Because Mommy isn't feeling good, remember love? You have to be gentle with her right now," he said softly.

"When is she going to be better?" she asked.

"Soon, my dear. That's why we made soup. It has magical healing properties," he told her, adding drawl to his words to play up his wisdom.

"Really? That's so cool! What other kind of magic does it have?" Izumi asked, and Zuko internally slapped himself for creating another opportunity for Izumi's imagination to run away. Thinking quickly, Zuko closed his eyes and raised his nose to the air, further leaning into the sage old man role.

"If made properly, with love and care, it has the power to heal wounds of the heart. It can make once bitter enemies friends, even lovers," he said.

"Really?" Izumi's eyes were the biggest he'd ever seen them. He nodded, smiling, and asked her to open the door.

Inside his wife was laying on her side, hugging two pillows to herself. Izumi ran over to the bed, and Zuko barely had time to remind her, "Careful," before she could jump on Katara. Thankfully, Izumi stopped abruptly and settled for placing her hand on her mom's back, whisper-shouting, "Mom! We brought magic soup!"

Katara slowly blinked her eyes open and rolled onto her back to sit up. Zuko placed the tray of food on top of the dresser before helping her sit all the way up, placing every pillow he could find behind her.

"Magic soup you say? What makes it so magical?" Katara asked, fighting back a yawn. Zuko brought the back of his hand to her forehead and let out a sigh of relief upon realizing her fever had finally broken. He knew Katara was upset that she had gotten sick during the one week they managed to take off to Ember Island, especially since it was the last vacation with just the three of them. However Zuko was too worried about the impact on the babies to care about his missed holiday.

"Daddy said it has healing properties! And can make enemies fall in love!" Izumi proudly recited, already climbing into bed to cuddle up next to her mom. She placed a careful kiss on Katara's stomach and whispered something that sounded like, "Love you, baby sisters," before settling into her mother's side. Zuko brought over the tray of soup and carefully passed out the bowls. Katara still appeared weak, but color was slowly returning to her cheeks. When she realized which soup recipe he made, she smiled warmly at him. Even after all these years, that quirk of her lip still made his stomach flip and his heart clench.

"He's right, you know," Katara sagely said. Izumi, seeming to forget her earlier proclamations of starvation, turned all her attention to her mother, who said "this is magic soup. I've seen firsthand how it can bring healing and even make people fall in love," she finished with a wink in Zuko's direction.

"Really? Like who?" Izumi demanded.

"Like your father and I," Katara answered, picking a few of the lighter veggies to nibble on in a way that told Zuko she wasn't quite up to eating the whole bowlful yet.

"WHAT?! YOU GUYS USED TO HATE EACH OTHER?!" Izumi exclaimed, earning a gentle hushing from him and a laugh from Katara.

"Once upon a time, we did. But then we had many adventures together, and fought together, and most importantly, we made soup together," Katara answered, stroking Izumi's hair to calm her down. While their daughter slowly recovered from her state of shock, Katara slipped the child-sized chopsticks into Izumi's hand, a subtle hint to eat.

"And then you fell in love?" Izumi asked, the worry finally fading from her features. Zuko shared another smile with Katara before answering.

"Yes, and then we fell in love."

A/N: Thanks again to the incredible hereforthezutarastuff for beta reading 3

If anyone is interested the soup Zuko made is LOOSELY based on this recipe simple-homemade-chicken-ramen/

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