It had been a long day. First Aang and Zuko trained while everyone else slept in. Then they had breakfast with the whole group. While Zuko helped teach The Duke how to read and write; Katara cooked whatever Sokka had gotten. After lunch Toph, Haru, and Aang would work on earth bending, and Zuko would help cook dinner with Teo. Katara, The Duke, and Sokka would get the food and firewood.
The young group of people would always eat dinner together. Sitting in a circle and sharing stories helped ease the tension of their different backgrounds.
"The family that fed us was expecting a baby and the mother was… Hey Zuko what was that word for being upset that you taught me?" The Duke looked over at Zuko.
"Concerned." he smiled back at the adorable kid.
"Right! She was concerned that the baby would be an earth bender and the fire nation would take it from them. So Jet told them to go to Ba Sing Se and he helped distract the soldiers so they could escape. They traveled with very little though." The Duke finished. Zuko had noticed Katara had stiffened at the end of the story, so he gently placed his right hand on her shoulder, gave it a small squeeze and lowered it back to his bowl of food.
"We met a couple that were expecting a child!" Aang shouted. Everyone turned their attention to the perky kid so they could listen to his story. "Their passports were stolen and they couldn't take the ferry to Ba Sing Se so Katara, Sokka, Suki and I helped them cross the Serpent's Pass."
"Who's Suki?" Teo interrupted everyone's attention turned from Aang to Sokka when Aang looked over at Sokka.
"She is a Kyoshi Warrior. She is brave and strong and could probably kick Zuko's butt if she ever met him again." Sokka smirked proudly at his girlfriend's skills.
"I know her?" Zuko's eyebrow rose.
"You like a fire-bender?" Haru exclaimed. "Uh, I mean well, no offense or anything Zuko, you know if there was someone you liked that was…"
"No, it's okay. I don't blame you. I could never like a girl who can firebend, always temperamental and controlling. But that's probably because of Azula though." Zuko assured the flustered earth-bender.
"Oh so you can't date them because they are too much like you, Sparky? So, Sparky needs someone completely opposite of himself." Toph spoke up from Zuko's left. Golden eyes met blue eyes before they darted away from each other.
"Anyway," Aang began again. "Suki isn't a fire-bendered but she does know Zuko. He and his men kinda set her town on fire."
Zuko's eyes darted down to his food, not even daring to look up and meet the gazes he felt piling up on him.
"He didn't mean to do that though, he just lost his temper when he couldn't find me." Somehow the avatar's words didn't make the poor teenager feel any better about yet another problem he had created for others.
"After the couple got through The Serpent's Pass though, the mom said she was about to have the baby. So Katara helped give birth to the little girl and her parents named her Hope. Sokka passed out when he walked into the middle of it though." Aang laughed.
"Hey, you didn't see it when…"
"Snoozles! Some people are eating still." Toph interrupted.
Sokka looked around the group, some had turned a little green.
"How do you deliver a baby? Do you walk up to them and hand them a little kid you found?" The Duke asked looking directly at Katara, who turned tomato red. "Can you teach me?" His eyes darted from Katara to Zuko, who had finally lifted his eyes to stared in shock at the kid.
"What? You teach him everything else but that?" Katara turned and accused Zuko.
He held up his hands defensively, all the while shocked she would even say that. "No way! If I taught him that kind of stuff it would be worse than Aang knowing where childbirth came from!" He waved his arms in the air frantically.
Katara's eyes widened and glanced over at Aang before sliding back over to Zuko, a worried expression on her face.
"Wait. If you both know then you can teach me together!" The Duke exclaimed happily; not knowing what was wrong with his idea.
Zuko and Katara watched the other pale, still not knowing what to tell the kid. Zuko looked around the group through the corner of his good eye. Sokka looked like he was either ready to hurt someone or be sick. Aang looked at them with the same innocent face The Duke was wearing. Toph, Teo, and Haru were biting back laughs.
"That's not a good idea, buddy." Zuko finally rested his eyes on The Duke.
"Yeah that's nothing you will need to worry about." Katara agreed quickly.
"What's wrong with his idea?" Aang looked at them with a pure face of innocent puzzlement.
"B-b-be because…" Katara didn't know how to explain.
"Because you need to work on your training Aang, and you," Zuko looked quite father-like at the moment as he turned to The Duke. "Have plenty of other things to do, like learn you alphabet and the chores that Katara asks you to do for her."
"Fine" The little kid grumbled and crossed his arms.
"Well, if I have extra time can I learn?" Aang asked.
Zuko's head fell and he shook it. "Isn't it bed time for them?" Zuko murmured just loud enough for Katara and Toph to hear.
Katara burst into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth.
"Wow, this is the closest to a family that I ever got." Toph was smirking a smirk that made Zuko's blood run cold.
"We got The Duke, who's the baby; Sokka the sarcastic kid. Me, the tough child; Aang the cute kid who loves attention; and Teo, who always inventing stuff." Toph kept rambling seeming to ignore the indignant yelps. "Everyone would agree with me that Katara is the mom. She watches over us, cooks, cleans, and fixes stuff. Haru is the oldest kid who the heartbreaker for all the girls."
"Ha from what I understand isn't Zuko the heartbreaker. There was Song, Jin, and Mai." Sokka joked.
"No, no snoozles. Zuko has a more important job. He's the dad."
The circle of people were quiet. Zuko and Katara looked at each other's blushing faces. Then the whole circle erupted into laughter.
"I never thought of it that way!" Teo cried out laughing.
Haru wiped a tear from the corner of his eyes muttering about a 'messed up family'.
Toph was smirking proudly, while Aang clutched his sides from laughing. He fell over and rested his head on Toph's lap, who's blush wasn't missed by Zuko or Katara. Sokka pretended to faint making a sarcastic joke about his sister and the 'jerk-bender'. Even Katara and Zuko were laughing.
"Momma, Dadda!" The Duke laughed throwing himself on Zuko and Katara's lap.
Everyone broke into more laughter at the little kid's joke. Katara and Zuko shared a look and decided to play along with this.
"Hey Hun, don't you think it time for bed." Zuko joked throwing his arm around her shoulder.
"Why yes I do!" She giggled, picking up The Duke and carrying him toward the hallway. She stopped to watch Zuko laugh. He looked so handsome when he was happy. "Come on Duke, Momma read you a story."
"It's THE Duke!" He cried out through his tears of laughter. Everyone was laughing at the show the two benders were putting on. Aang rolled onto his stomach cracking up.
Zuko walked over and stood behind Toph and Aang. He swung Toph on his shoulders so she was on piggy-back-style. Then he grabbed Aang's ankles and pulled him up so Aang was walking on his hands. This made everyone crack up. "Now kids, time for beddy-bye." he spoke in a deep voice.
"Sokka and Haru, don't stay out too late." Katara tried to be serious.
"No, let them have their fun. Don't you remember our wild nights." Although no one but Katara picked it up, there was something funny in his voice that made her shiver and give him a knowing smirk.
"I'm going to bed too. I don't want to miss story time!" Teo joked and rolled after Zuko, who was wheel-barrowing Aang down the hallway and Katara who couldn't stop laughing.
Katara and Zuko returned after telling a bedtime story that the group had insisted on, to find Sokka and Haru sleeping on mats near the fire. Katara sighed and woke them up so they could go into their respective rooms.
"Goodnight" They called after them in unison.
Zuko yawned dramatically. "Well goodnight Katara." He stretched his arms and began walking away. Suddenly he stopped, but not by his own account. Against his own will, his whole body jerked around to face Katara.
She was in a bending pose with her hair down, and Zuko had to admit she was probably the hottest thing he had ever seen. Her arms swerved and his body walked quickly towards her.
"You can't be tired? Can you Zu-zu?" She smirked when he finally realized she was blood-bending his body. "Come on." She bended his body around and walked him to her room, against his own wishes.
She sat him on the bed once they were in her room with the door closed. Still controlling his body she sat on his lap so they were facing each other. "It was really smart to have Toph on you're back when you said 'Don't you remember our wild nights?'; so she couldn't tell you were telling the truth.
Still being in control of his neck and head her answered her with a devious smile. "I have my smart moments."
She smiled as she kissed him releasing his body from her control. Katara was pleased when he laid back and pulled her on top of him.
Little did they know about a certain little earth bender outside the door smirking. She knew it and they just proved it. "Hello baby brother!" She whispered mischievously before she walked back to her own room.
Author's note::
hey first story up and i'm really proud of this. I got this idea when i was playing manhunt with a few kids in my neighborhood!! So yeah i turned it into Zutara!! =3