The Date

"Why, Uncle? Why did you do that?"

"Calm down, Nephew."

"Calm down? You didn't even let me say anything! Now she's expecting me to meet her later!"

She?

Katara's ears twitch, though she remains curled up in her usual spot on Zuko's bed. Something must have happened at the teashop today. Prince Idiot sounds rather distressed.

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun tonight," Uncle says in a soothing tone. "Jin seems like a nice girl."

"You don't even know her! I don't even know her! Heck, I didn't even know her name until today!"

"Then consider this your chance to get to know her."

Zuko makes a frustrated sound and stomps into his room. Uncle follows.

"Nephew, it will be good for you to spend time with other people your age. Help you settle into the city more."

"Maybe I don't want to settle into the city! Maybe I don't want to go on this date!"

Katara blinks. A date?

"But she's expecting you," Uncle says, aghast. "She'll be waiting for you outside the shop at sundown."

"Well, whose fault is that!"

Uncle frowns. "Are you really planning to stand that poor girl up?"

Zuko sits on his bed and grabs his pillow, half-hugging it to his chest. He avoids his uncle's gaze, expression sulky and a bit defiant. "She'll get over it. She doesn't even know me."

"Jin has been coming to the teashop every day just to see you. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to approach you today and ask you out. If you don't meet her tonight, she's going to be devastated."

Zuko's hands tighten on the pillow.

"Nephew," Uncle says gently, "I think you should go. All you do is work or spend your evenings with me and this cat. You're only sixteen. Try to enjoy yourself."

Something shifts in Prince Idiot's eyes, but his mouth remains an unhappy line.

Uncle sighs. "Or stay here and sulk. Whatever makes you happy. Just know that I only accepted the date on your behalf because I truly think you will have a good time with Jin. You just have to give her a chance."

He waits a moment to see if his nephew will respond. When there's nothing, he sighs again and turns to leave.

"I don't want to hurt her," Zuko says in a small voice.

Uncle pauses.

"I know it would be mean to stand her up. It's just … I just … I've never been on a date before. I don't know how to do this. I don't know anything about girls or, or—"

"Then let me help you." Uncle turns back to face him, a crafty grin on his lips. "As it so happens, I was quite the lady killer in my younger days."

Zuko scrunches his nose.

"You doubt me, but it's true."

"I don't doubt you. I'm just trying really hard not to imagine it. It's bad enough when you flirt with the old ladies to get discounts."

Katara almost smiles. She can easily see the old man charming his way into discounts and freebies.

Uncle doesn't seem to care that he's grossed his nephew out with hints of his wild oat-sowing days. Instead, he assures him once again that there is nothing to worry about. "I'll have you ready for this date in no time."

"Great," Zuko says with a decided lack of enthusiasm. It's obvious he's only agreeing to the whole thing so he doesn't upset this Jin girl.

Uncle's smile widens. "Let's get started!"

oOo

Katara can't stop laughing. Zuko is dressed in a much fancier tunic than usual, but it's his hair that gets her. The choppy, gravity-defying strands have been combed and plastered down to his head in the most awful manner. He hasn't seemed to notice how ridiculous he looks either. There's no little nose scrunch, no "Are you sure about this?" to Uncle. His only complaint is that it took ten minutes to achieve the style.

The boy really is clueless.

"Is there something wrong with your cat?" Uncle asks. "It's making strange noises."

Zuko spares her a glance. "Maybe she has a fur ball." He leans down close to her. "You okay, Cat?"

"Oh, I'm fine. It's you who needs help." She bats at his hair with her uninjured paw.

"Hey!" He leans back. "Don't mess up the hair!"

"I'm doing it for you. Not even your pretty face can save that style."

Zuko straightens to his full height so her paws can't get at him. "She seems fine now."

The matter is allowed to drop in favour of Uncle going over tips for things to do and say on the date. Her poor Prince Idiot looks so uncertain, especially at the mention of giving compliments, that even she finds she can't laugh at him anymore. Though she still wishes he'd let her do something about that hair. It really is an offence to the eyes. Uncle has clearly got a bit outdated with some of the things he thinks will appeal to a girl.

"You're ready," Uncle declares, holding his nephew back by the shoulders and smiling.

"No!" Katara says. "Fix the hair! The hair!"

Zuko frowns at his hands. "It only has to be one date, right? Then she won't get upset."

"Why don't you worry about that later? Just try to relax tonight. Have fun. Oh, and take this." He pulls out a small piece of paper from his pocket.

Now the nose scrunch comes out. "A coupon?"

"Jin is our most valuable customer. She does come to the shop every day after all, and tea isn't cheap. It'll be a nice gesture from you."

"Uh, okay." Zuko pockets the coupon.

"Fix his hair!" Katara urges before it's too late.

But no one listens to her. None of them speak meow language. Prince Idiot leaves for his date and all she can do is sigh.

oOo

Katara is curled up and half dozing at the foot of his bed when he gets home. Her ears twitch at the sound of the apartment door opening and his familiar footsteps.

"How was your evening?" Uncle says.

Zuko just stomps into his bedroom and slams the door shut. Oh dear. It must not have gone well. His hair is back to being choppy and messy (thank goodness), but he's also got that scowly, dramatic look on his face. Not a good sign at all.

A breath escapes him and he closes his eyes for a beat. Then he slides the door open again. "It was nice," he says softly.

Shutting the door once more, he collapses face-first onto his bed. Katara watches him for a moment before curiosity gets the better of her. She winces her way to her feet and limps over to him, giving his leg a nudge with her nose. It takes a second nudge to make him raise his face from the pillow.

"Hey, Cat," he murmurs.

There's no trace of a scowl, but he doesn't look happy either. Instead, there's a weight in his eyes and a sadness lingering in the shape of his mouth. She frowns.

"I don't get it," she says. "You come home all stompy and scowly, then you say the evening was nice, and now you just look deflated and like you're carrying the world on your shoulders. So, what's the deal? What happened?"

He sits up and looks down at her. "It must be nice to be a cat. You don't have to worry about anything much, do you?"

She almost wants to scream in frustration. This idiot never understands anything she says.

"Or maybe it would be fine if I really was just Lee the refugee …"

He goes quiet for a long time after that. She nudges him again with her nose.

Zuko sighs and shifts onto his stomach so it's easier for him to meet her gaze. "Jin kissed me," he finally confesses in a small voice. Such a small, soft voice. "I … I shouldn't have let her do it. I know that. I even tried to stop it from happening the first time, but I … I was curious and she was nice …"

"Oh, my poor Prince Idiot," Katara says more like a sigh. Now she's beginning to understand why his emotions are all over the place.

He buries his face in his hands. "I kissed her back, Cat. Only briefly, but I … it's a lie. Everything I am here is a lie. I'm not Lee. I'm not some refugee who used to be a juggler in the circus …"

Her cat brows rise. What the heck? Juggling? Circus?

"I'm such an idiot," he groans, still keeping his face buried in his hands. "I've complicated everything."

She frowns as he continues to lie there dramatically and mutter to himself. His distress is so tangible that she can almost feel it prickling along her fur. Before she realises what she's doing, she's rubbing her head against his. His mutters instantly stop. She freezes and pulls back, but it's too late. Soft, golden eyes meet hers.

"Are you trying to comfort me?" he asks.

Well, yes, she supposes she is. She's been stuck with him for days now and he's proven himself mostly harmless. Besides, she'd have to be heartless to not be moved by his situation.

His mouth curves into the smallest of smiles. "Thanks, Cat."

She holds his gaze for a beat before she simply curls up next to him, back pressed to his side. Maybe it's just her cat instincts seeking the extra warmth she always wants. Maybe it's because she knows he's still sad and confused. Either way, tonight she decides she'll close the distance between them just this once.