A/N: Yeah... Sorry. Time passes funny in college. Roll around in the feels. Sorry again.
Oh, also. The funny word Lee uses- "dyadya?"- it's supposed to be Uncle in Russian. I don't know how accurate that is.
Healed and Hunted
Proposals
Chapter 34
Outside Lee's Door
Kat
She's been standing here for half an hour, just staring at the door. She was hesitating and stalling. Every step forward was met with a step and a half backwards. She didn't know why, really. It was supposed to be simple. She was supposed to go in there, see if he needed anything…maybe stay.
But here she was, rocking back and forth like she was caught in a trap.
It was their last time…in this place together. Their last few hours of dwelling in the same place for a bit longer. It was…strange, and it kind of hurt to think about. Maybe that was why she was still outside.
She didn't want to say good-bye, for however short a time. She hated good-byes. They seemed so permanent.
She knows she can't just leave, but she can't bring herself to knock. She can't force herself to take two steps forward and say Good luck. She isn't strong enough.
A laugh almost escapes.
Strong enough. Always relative, wasn't it? Toph lost her bending- her sight- and managed enough strength to push everyone away. Even if only for a short time. Toph was willing to face a new world by herself, just so she wouldn't slow everyone down.
And Katara can't even tell him good-bye.
People pass by and pay her no mind. They are talking about the Ava's interview earlier today. She listens for a moment before deciding they had nothing worthwhile to say.
"How long have you been standing there?"
Her eyes flash upward, suddenly moistened and threatening tears.
Lee was staring at her from his doorway. He's just wearing pajama bottoms, and she finds it easy to distract herself. So many tattoos and muscles. It was easier not to look him in the eye.
"Not long. A few minutes maybe," she says, shrugging. How can she explain she's been here for almost forty minutes now, and couldn't move?
Lee nods, "I've…just been standing on my side of the door, trying to figure out what to say. I don't think I moved for half an hour."
He laughs like he's the pathetic one.
"Lee, I don't know what we're supposed to say." Kat tells him.
She steps forward, finding courage somewhere in her feet. Kat puts her arms around his neck, letting her forehead rest on his collarbone. His breathing isn't even or regular. He's nervous, or scared. She can't tell which it is.
"Say yes." He says into her hair.
Kat has to pause and wonder if she'd missed something important. Had he asked her something? Instead of standing around thinking about it, "Yes to what?"
Lee took in a breath, "Marry me, Katara."
The White House
Aang
The security in this place was making him nervous. Every few steps there was another agent or secret service or mall cop. Toph was trying to lean on him and be as little of a burden as possible. Her hands weren't better, but she wanted to come with him.
So, here they were. In the lion's den, so to speak.
They were waiting in one of the offices, trying not to become impatient. The President had requested this meeting, but was apparently running late.
There were two agents at the door, another at the window, and one more just lounging in the back of the room. Aang wondered how many were waiting outside the door, perhaps above the ceiling, and even outside the building.
"Did he say what he wanted?" Toph whispered.
Aang shrugged, "It isn't hard to guess. I assume he wants to know where I stand."
When his fiancé didn't say anything, Aang took it as a cue to relax as well. Everything was going to be okay. He was going to breathe in, breathe out, and no one was going to attack.
When the door opened, the monk managed not to jump.
"Hello, mister President." Aang said as respectfully as he could.
The other man smiled and offered a hand, "Hello, Ava Aang. We have a lot to discuss, and I'd like to get started."
A Little to the Left of the Middle of Nowhere
Mushi
The building was bigger, no denying that. And, it was a pretty building. But it was old and very much out of the way. There was plenty of space for parking and such. But…still.
He didn't know if this was the right place to relocate. There was three stories in total. He could redo the top floor to make it a living area, as his current building was. But…two floors of restaurant? It was a major adjustment. Plus, he didn't know what his nephew was planning on doing.
This restaurant was considerably closer to Lee and Kat. And that was a plus. He enjoyed seeing them, but knew that they wanted to see her family, as well. So, he'd come to this place, looking to relocate his tea shop.
"Well, what do you think?" The realtor asked.
Mushi sighed, "I like the building. It's…a little stranded, though. And I'd have to completely renovate the amenities and such. And build a parking lot, and perhaps even pave the road. It's going to be a lot of work. If I can get this for an appropriate price, we'll talk."
The realtor nodded, "I'm sure I can wrangle it down quite a bit. I'll get the owners on the phone."
And Mushi smiled, happy with the impending cold weather. Things were shifting again, and he couldn't wait. His nephew had just recently mentioned weddings, and wouldn't that be such a wonderful thing?
Lee deserved some happiness, after everything.
Ah, perhaps he was just being a nosy old man.
Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. When he saw the name on the screen, he smiled.
"Were you're ears burning?" He asked as way of greeting.
The feminine laugh warmed his heart, "Not exactly, Uncle."
"Ah. Then what does this old man have to thank for your call?"
She laughed again, "I was just calling to tell you Lee is taking his test now. He should be finished in…maybe an hour or so. I don't know. But, I figured he could use the extra prayers."
Mushi smiled, "Of course. I wish you were coming home, too."
"You know? So do I." Her voice was sad, "But… Well. Oh! Hey, I had a favor I needed to ask of you."
"Huh?" He asked. Katara had never asked him for anything.
He could almost hear the grin, "I'm sending Lee home with a painting. It's sealed. If it's opened at all, you're supposed to tell me, okay? If it isn't, take it to the art museum Lee always visits. They will know what to do with it there."
This was an odd request, but he nodded. When she didn't say anything he remembered they were on the phone, "Ah, alright. Do I get to ask what it is?"
"Oh, just the latest form of torture. Nothing too terribly important. But, make sure you go with him. I don't trust him not to try and peek." She sounded absolutely thrilled. Mushi's heart went out to his nephew. The girl did have a habit of making his nephew's life very…interesting.
"Okay. Will you call me when he gets out?" Mushi asked.
Her tone changed immediately, "He'll call you. Promise."
And that hurt. It wasn't that Lee never called. And it wasn't that he was calling that was the problem. But it was the worry and conviction in her statement. She was worried, too, and this was her way of saying she was watching out for the boy.
"Okay. Thank you, dear." He told her. He hoped the sudden wave of emotion was not transparent in his voice.
A small noise from her side of the phone. "And…Uncle? Thank you. For…everything."
Taking a painting to a museum didn't seem like that big of a deal. But he had no idea what she was talking about. She was strange like that, some times.
"I love you, Uncle," she said softly.
The line went dead.
The Parking Lot
Zuko
It feels like he's been in limbo for two days. Like he hasn't existed since he'd asked her to marry him. As nervous as he'd been, it never occurred to him that she would actually say no. Of course, she hadn't said no yet.
But, really, how long until he was supposed to take the hint?
He'd tried to act normal. Tried to pretend it was alright. Except that was really difficult when he couldn't even feel his face.
She'd given him some damn painting and asked him to take it to the museum. Honestly, he didn't care. Most of his time around her was spent trying not to talk. Not to demand an answer or force a confrontation.
She's standing a few feet away from him, head down. Her hair was up. She hadn't said much all day. Or, in fact, for the past two days. He wants to be angry at her for it, but he can't.
"Be safe going home, okay?" She asked. Her voice was weird.
Maybe he wasn't the only one who didn't know how to act.
Lee shrugged, "Yeah."
He kissed her head, and pulled away. Couldn't linger too long. He crawled into her car, adjusted the seat, and drove away. His hands were shaking.
He made it to his Uncle's in good time. He somehow managed to miss all the traffic. Plus, he probably was driving a bit faster than necessary. He didn't really remember the drive here.
His uncle was sitting at a table, sipping tea. There was a second, steaming cup on the tabletop just waiting for him. It was tea. He hated tea. Didn't his uncle know that?
"Congratulations." Uncle said in Russian, smiling.
Lee didn't feel so lucky, "Yeah. Thanks. Here's that painting."
He handed it off, relieved to be away from it. All he wanted was to go to sleep. For a really long time.
"Okay. Well, you can drive." Mushi said.
"Dyadya? What are you talking about?"
Mushi laughed, "We're supposed to take this to that museum of yours."
The young man stared at the elder. It wasn't his fault. He didn't know. But, Lee still had to breathe and count backwards from ten. It wasn't easy.
"Come on, go. Don't back talk me." Mushi was saying.
Suddenly, they were on their way to the museum. Where he could freely stare at all of her wonderful art and wonder: What in the hell was wrong?! Wouldn't it have been merciful to let him know one way or another?
When they exited, a small body tackled him.
"Lee!" A small voice cried.
Despite his foul mood, he grew excited, "Kyoshi! What are you doing here, cool kid?"
"I came to see you!" She told him. She hugged him again.
God he loved this kid.
"Wait, how did you know I'd be here?" He wondered, sensing conspiracy. He saw Katara's family approaching from the museum.
The little girl grabbed his hand, his uncle's hand, and dragged them forward.
"Aunt Tara told me. Anyways. I'm so excited! I love her art, don't you, Lee?" The girl was so…bouncy.
Lee said nothing.
When they entered the museum, the curator clapped his hands.
"Ah, there you are. I've been waiting. We're about to have a riot on our hands. Hurry, this way please."
As if Lee wasn't suspicious before. Something was going down, and he didn't like it.
He was led to a wing of the museum that was covered in white tarps. They paintings were hidden from view. People were crowded around, excited to see the new pieces.
"Alright. The last piece has finally arrived! We can now begin the unveiling process." The curator said.
After a round of applause, the curator gripped the first tarp.
"This piece, is called 'The Past.' The artist has asked me to read a small script for each of these, so bear with me." The curator paused, "We were both standing on our own."
The first painting revealed. Himself and Katara. Their images were very different. He was wearing shades, ear buds, and was almost enveloped in sunlight. Then, her image was almost completely dark. There was one small stream of light where she was sitting, on her knees with her back turned.
"This next is called, 'Defense.' Neither of us was used to getting close."
The second piece- the both of them, turned away from one another. Still the dark/light contrast between them. He hated that. It was what she was thinking about herself. So dark and…useless.
"I present 'Destroy.' And then the walls began to shift." The curator said.
The third piece. A literal stone wall between them. But, on both of their sides, removed stones. They were both reaching through the wall, touching the heart of the other. He realized what she was doing now. Telling their story. This was when they both began to concede.
"This fourth piece, which I thought was the last until two days ago, is called 'Sleep.' And isn't it lovely, how that happened?"
He was resting his head in her lap, and she was smiling down at him. The blue of her was the wrong color, but he didn't really notice. The love was evident in both of their faces. He remembered this moment, though at the time he had only been thinking what a wonderful day it had been.
"And now, the last piece if you please." The curator held out his hand.
Mushi surrendered the covered canvas. The curator wasted no time in opening it, turned away from the audience. A slip of paper fell to the ground, and he reached for it.
"The last piece. She calls it, 'See You There." The message is: I didn't know how else to say…thank you."
And then, it was revealed.
He doesn't know how to react. So, he just does what feels natural.
Lee jumped, making a whole heck of a fuss, and kissed his uncle on the cheek. Next was Kyoshi. He went down the line of her family members until he ran out. He still felt like dancing and exploding in a million directions.
On the canvas, was an abstract- yet so perfectly clear- painting. The two there didn't have any eyes. Yet, that was unnecessary. There were, in total, only five colors on this painting. His skin, her skin, their hair (also the same as the clothes he was wearing), his scar, and the color white.
They were kissing.
And she, strange and dramatic as she was, was wearing a white wedding dress.