CHAPTER NINE
Zuko woke as the sun peeked through the cabin's porthole. It set alight his crimson sheets, tangled around two pairs of feet. It illuminated the brown mass of hair commandeering his pillow. The bunk was almost too hot with two people crammed in a bed made for one. But Katara's presence cooled the raging fire in his chest. He no longer felt like he was struggling to stay afloat. They had sailed out of the storm.
Her breath came in steady puffs. When he shifted, she followed his body heat, nuzzling under his arm. An unfamiliar sensation, but a welcome one.
Zuko knew he would have to figure out a way to explain to the council why the Water Tribe ambassador would be joining his court, why tensions between him and the Avatar had risen abruptly. He also knew that his uncle would guess the unspoken reason for Katara's presence. Gods knew Iroh would be ecstatic to see her when they disembarked in the Fire Nation. His soft spot for Katara had only grown each time she remembered to bring back his favorite ginseng tea blend from her ambassadorial visits to Ba Sing Se. Zuko caught himself grinning at the thought of his uncle welcoming Katara like family.
Katara stirred, her deep blue eyes reluctantly cracking open. Blinking slowly, she took in her surroundings— the cramped bunk, the scarred man by her side. "Oh, spirits," she groaned. "What have I done?"
Zuko started. No, no, no. This wasn't how he had imagined it. Katara throwing herself at him, squeezing the breath out of him, shivering under his touch— yes. But not Katara questioning her choice. The idea of launching himself into a snowbank to freeze flitted across Zuko's mind. That would be less painful than hearing Katara—
Her laugh broke his panic. "What have I done?" she murmured, and the heat in her tone made Zuko's pulse pound. She wound a hand around his neck, tugging his face down to meet hers. Their foreheads touched, then their lips.
Katara mumbled something unintelligible against his mouth. Zuko let it slide, reluctant to break away. He was absorbed in her embrace, in the way her hips strained towards his and her hair curled around his hands.
But there it was again. The same sound, too muffled to make out.
"Hm?" Zuko pulled away.
"Yes," she was saying, over and over, the word streaming from her mouth like rain.
Fixated on other ideas, Zuko struggled to understand what she meant. "Yes what?" he asked impatiently, stroking her shoulders. There was time for talking later— a lifetime ahead of them— but right now he wanted to savor the things he had dreamed of doing with her for so long.
"You asked me if I was happy," Katara said, smiling as his brow wrinkled in confusion. "Years ago, when you gave me your ring and I started to cry. I couldn't answer you then. But I can now."
The kiss Zuko gave her in reply was tender, eager yet gentle. It spoke of lazy mornings like this one, of afternoons sneaking in sparring sessions between meetings and summers spent lounging in the sand on Ember Island. It hinted at a crown fit for a Fire Lady, at a daughter with fiery fists and a son with Katara's smile.
The crimson sheets beneath Katara were unfamiliar, too smooth and not the right color. The bed was too cramped for two to share it comfortably, and the cabin smelled suspiciously like unwashed robes. But with the fire bender beside her, kissing her— deep in her bones, she felt warm and right.
The rolling of the ship turned Zuko's stomach, and he ached for a proper bed, one that he could sprawl Katara out on and examine her from every angle. But Zuko was nothing if not resourceful, and when he looked at the woman by his side, his complaints faded away. Katara loved him. Nothing else mattered.
He breathed in her salty skin and vowed not to let an inch of her skin remain unkissed for long. Her giggle as his mouth met her collarbone made Zuko grin. The realization that Katara was his flooded his mind, and Zuko was home.
Of course, I reworked the ending instead of posting it quickly... But here it is (finally)! Thank you for your patience and your reviews. :)