Katara eyed herself critically in the mirror, and grimaced slightly at her reflection as she turned to the side. "Zuko, do I look fat?" she called, and her husband stopped breathing.
The mother of all questions. And she had to ask it now! Just before a state dinner! Zuko glanced out the window and cringed. The state dinner that they were currently late to. "You look beautiful," he recovered quickly, kissing the top of her head.
Katara rolled her eyes. "That's not what I asked you, Zuko," she replied, her eyes never once leaving the mirror. She lightly pinched her upper arms, her face screwing up when she found little pads of fat beneath her fingers. Then, she rested her hands on her stomach, and her face contorted even more when she found it wasn't as lean and smooth as it used to be.
"You're perfect," Zuko replied, frowning at the way she poked and prodded herself. Are all women this crazy?
"But my cheeks look a little fuller," she complained, and Zuko's gaze traveled to her backside. Katara caught his eyes in the mirror, and growled at the back of her throat. "My other cheeks!" she exclaimed, pointing to her face for emphasis. Zuko's eyes traveled back upwards slowly, and he gave her a lazy smile.
"And look at this!" she exclaimed, lifting her arm and pushing the small bit of flab beneath it so that it gave a slight jiggle. "That's never happened to me before!" she exclaimed, and as she did so, Zuko could hear her voice begin to choke with tears.
"Katara…" Zuko soothed, glancing out the window again. Damnit! I can't be late to this. "Honey, it's okay," he said as kindly as he could, although his nerves were beginning to fray. Katara jerked away from him and buried her head in her hands, her muffled cries developing into full fledged sobs.
"Look, its normal for a woman in your condition to gain a little bit of weight…" Zuko tried again, and Katara's head snapped up at the comment.
She furiously brushed her tears away, and glared at the man sitting beside her. "So you're telling me I am fat?" she demanded, drawing the water from a nearby potted plant and shaping it into a whip.
Damn those hormones! "Honey, remember what the doctor said about bending. It could hurt the baby," he cautioned her, eyeing the water whip nervously.
"I don't care what the doctor said! Spirits curse the man!" she exclaimed, and then she caught sight of herself in the mirror again. Once again, she dissolved into tears. "I'm so ugly!" she gasped, and the water whip fell to the floor, soaking the carpet.
"No you're not," Zuko protested, but Katara paid him no mind. She threw herself onto their bed. "I look like a big, fat cow!" she sobbed, clutching at the covers.
"Honey…"
"Yes I am! A big, fat, ugly, flabby, pregnant cow!" she managed past her tears.
I really don't have time for this… "They'll have cake," he bribed, remembering all the times that she had forced him to make the long, long trek to the kitchen in the early hours of the morning.
Katara sniffed, and glanced up. "What kind of cake?" she asked tremulously.
Zuko grinned. "Chocolate."
Katara beamed as she pushed herself off the bed and quickly ran a hand over her dress. "Well why didn't you tell me that before?" she demanded, grabbing Zuko's hand and dragging him out the door with a large smile.
Zuko groaned inwardly. Two months down, seven to go.