What Are We Now?

This is awkward. This is so, so awkward.

She raises her cup to take a sip of tea. Sidelong glances at Zuko. Accidentally catches his eye. Remembers that he saw her naked and she's snuggled in bed with him multiple times.

Swallows too much tea.

Chokes.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Uncle asks.

"F-fine."

She pats her chest to try calm her coughing. Zuko's mouth twitches like he's trying not to laugh. Then their eyes meet again and this time she remembers how she saw him naked, along with the kiss he gave her. Heat spreads in waves on her cheeks. He also blushes.

Ugh. Seriously so awkward.

"Now," Uncle says, drawing attention back to him, "tell me exactly what happened before you transformed back, Katara."

Her brow creases. "Um, he thanked me and then …"

"Then?"

"Then he, uh, kissed me."

Uncle's eyes widen and he stares at his nephew. "You kissed her?"

"On the head!" Zuko is so red it looks as if steam is about to come out of his ears. "It was just on the head, and I thought she was a cat!"

Uncle strokes his beard. "Hrmm, then does that mean true love's kiss broke the spirit magic?"

Both teens spit out their tea, coughing and spluttering.

"Oh, sorry," Uncle says. "Just thinking out loud."

Zuko and Katara stare at each other as their faces go redder and redder.

Seriously so, so awkward.

oOo

"There has to be another explanation, right?" Katara says, tugging at the sleeve of her—his—tunic. She can't forget the fact she's wearing his clothes.

Zuko frowns as he collects their empty teacups and takes them to the kitchen area to be washed along with the other dishes. "Another explanation for what?"

"Why I changed back into a human. I mean it can't be because … because you …"

Colour blooms on his cheeks. "Can we please stop talking about that?"

"I can't help it! You kissed me and suddenly I'm a girl again!"

"On the head! I kissed you on the head!"

"I know, I know. But what if your uncle is right? What if it's true?"

"What? That I'm supposed to be your true love?"

She bites her lip and nods.

"That's … that's just …"

They stare at each other helplessly for a moment. More blushing.

Zuko groans and turns away to wash the cups. "Look, this whole situation is weird and beyond me. I suggest we just not worry about it."

"What? How you can say that?"

"Because an hour ago you were a cat! Not long before that, I was having dreams where I was talking to two dragons and I'm pretty sure I was the Avatar at one point. Then there's the whole thing with Lake Laogai and the bison, and I just … everything is just so crazy and happening all at once and I can't even—"

"Woah." She limps over to place her hands on his shoulders. "Calm down."

"I am calm."

His grumbly tone draws a smile out of her. "You aren't at all and you know it, Prince Idiot."

His nose does that cute scrunchy thing. "Excuse me?"

Oops. She called him his nickname out loud.

He continues to stare at her and his nose scrunches even more. "You've been calling me that all this time, haven't you?"

She removes her hands from his shoulders. "Hey, you called me Cat! Who does that?"

"Well, I would have called you something else but you turned your nose up at everything."

"Obviously. You tried to call me things like Whiskers and Silky."

He blushes. Badly. Then he mutters under his breath and goes back to washing the dishes, though all she catches are the words "hate this" and "so embarrassing".

She leans against the bench. "Look, for what it's worth, I'm just as embarrassed about this as you are."

"I somehow doubt that."

"Are you kidding? I had cat instincts. I did things that no human would do!"

Like how she'd sat all over him because he was warm and she liked it. Heck, she'd let him pat her, even purred for him.

He glances at her. There isn't the same level of softness in his eyes now that she's no longer a cat, but there is curiosity. "So you were more like a cat then?"

"I … I guess. I mean I still had my human thoughts and feelings, but sometimes I'd get these weird urges."

His mouth twitches a little. "Like wanting to attack a piece of cork on a string?"

She shoves him with her elbow. "Shut up. That was only once!"

He actually laughs, though he sobers again a second later. "And everything else? Was that just cat urges as well?"

Her heart thumps a little too loudly. "O-of course. I wouldn't really want to cuddle with you in bed or have you stroke—"

Nope, abort on that one right now.

Zuko's face is exceptionally pink. "Um. Right."

Damn it, he still caught the innuendo.

She clears her throat and glances around the apartment. "Y-your uncle sure is taking a while, huh?"

"Pao's teashop emergencies always take a while. He takes advantage of us both. It'll be better when Uncle has his own shop."

Her eyebrows rise. "Then you're okay with it? Living in Ba Sing Se as Lee, I mean."

He goes quiet for a moment. "I know it will make Uncle happy."

It's all he says on the matter. She decides not to push and instead picks up a cloth and dries the dishes for him.

"Hey, Zuko?"

"Mm?"

"Thanks for letting Appa go. And I … I'm sorry I scratched you and, uh, bit you."

"It's fine."

She places the cloth down and touches his arm. "Even so, I'm sorry." A small smile. "And I'm glad you're doing better now. You had us worried there for a moment with the intense fever from out of nowhere."

He gives her that curious glance again. "That wasn't cat urges then? You were actually worried about me?"

"Of course."

Colour touches his cheeks and he looks away a bit shyly. "Oh."

Something flutters and warms in her chest. It's a second too late before she realises she's nuzzling his shoulder with her forehead.

He freezes. She freezes.

"Please tell me I did not just do that," she says a bit desperately.

"Uh …"

"No!" She covers her heated face with her hands and turns away from him. "Why do I still want to act like a cat? I'm a girl! I'm not a cat!"

It doesn't comfort her at all that Zuko bursts out laughing.

oOo

"So, what are we now?" she says much later, sitting with him and holding glowing water to her leg. Uncle has still not returned.

"Huh?"

A little frown creases her brow. It's going to take more than one session to heal this sprain.

"What do you mean?" he prompts, rolling onto his stomach. It's such a familiar thing to see him sprawled like that and looking at her with those golden eyes.

Heat crawls up her cheeks. "I mean us. You're not hunting Aang anymore, and after everything that's happened I just wondered …"

He tilts his head as he waits for her to finish, gaze curious.

"I just wondered what we could be to each other now."

"Oh." He blinks. "Um …"

"Ignoring all the true love's kiss theory stuff of course, because you're right that it's weird and kind of beyond what we can figure out anyway, so it would be pointless to worry about it and, um, and …"

And she's rambling. Her face also feels frustratingly hot.

Zuko is quiet for a moment, resting his chin on his palms. "How about friends?"

Now she blinks. "Friends?"

He bites his lip, shoulders hunching a little. "If you don't want that, then—"

"No, no. I want that."

They both blush at each other, but there is a tentative smile as well.

"Friends then?" He extends his hand.

Her smile widens as she leans forward to shake his hand. "Friends."