Over the next few days Zuko remained in his room to recover. Katara refused to leave his side, regularly soothing his scar with water and ordering around the palace healers that came to him. He smiled fondly as she berated another staff member for bringing the wrong creams and demanded more cloths, real cloths, not the flimsy silk rubbish they'd sent for her to work with.
"Katara, really, I'm fine," he said as the servants left the room.
"Well of course you're going to say that," she said, turning to him. "But I know you're not and I'm not stopping until I make sure you are."
"Can you please go and enjoy yourself? You really look like you could do with a break."
She gave him a withering look.
He chuckled, "You know what I mean."
She leant over him, changing the bindings around his scar, ignoring him.
"Hey," he said, grabbing her chin to make her face him. His golden eyes filled her vision, warm and earnest. Confronted with his gaze, she was unable to avoid the suggestion of a question in his face and felt herself melt under his fingers. His eyes searched hers, blue eyes conveying deep and complex emotions. She watched as his eyes flicked down to her mouth, thumb brushing over her bottom lip, dragging it down slightly. She leaned in a bit closer, breath hitching as she felt his warm breath on her lips…
"Zuko," she stopped, half way towards him.
"Yes," he replied, his wonderfully male smell enveloping her.
She remained quiet for a moment, "What is… why…. I…" she struggled.
He drew back slightly, looking at her eyes questioningly.
"I… I think I like you…. a lot," she finished, feeling it was a somewhat lame thing to say to the man who almost sacrificed himself for her. Of course she liked him, Tui what a stupid thing to say.
"I like you too," he said back to her.
She half smiled at him, and he grinned widely back at her before his expression fell slightly. She looked at him questioningly and he gave her a small smile, before gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ears.
Eyes fixed intently on the side of her head where his fingers still rested he rasped, "I just keep imagining how I almost lost you...I don't think I could ever have forgiven myself". He looked back at her and she was surprised to see the hint of tears in his eyes.
She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his and said, "I imagine the same thing. But I'm not going anywhere, not now, not ever," and lightly placed her hand on his chest.
"Do you mean that?" he asked, pulling away to look at her, his eyes conveying the depth of his question.
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Of course," she whispered, and pulled him into a kiss.