Katara spares a brief glance on her way to start breakfast at the kid snuggled up against their resident earthbender and keeps moving.
It did not escape her notice last night when Zuko let out an admittedly subdued sigh before slowly crawling out from between her and Sokka with a cautiousness more appropriate for trying to sneak into a Fire Nation fortress than trying to crawl out from between two sleeping water tribe members, any more than it had escaped Sokka's.
Given that he had shown no signs of distress, they had both waited to see what he would do next. Neither of them had been particularly surprised when he almost immediately plopped down next to Toph. If anything, it had been reassuring.
It hasn't escaped her notice either, that for the first time since that first terrifying ordeal, he's slept through the night without waking them all up screaming.
Given that he has yet to stir, Katara figures it best to let him sleep while he can.
The two oversleep, both staggering up to the breakfast table only once everyone else has almost finished eating. Katara refrains from commenting, however, simply climbing to her feet and serving them bowls of porridge. Toph offers her usual grunt of thanks as she accepts hers, but Zuko manages a mumbled 'thank you' that is quickly followed by a yawn that threatens to nearly split his jaw.
"You okay there, buddy?" Sokka asks. Casual as the question is, he's eyeing the pint-sized version of Zuko with concern.
Zuko waves him off and starts on his porridge.
"What are we now, nine?"
Zuko pauses and looks up at Sokka very deliberately. "We are both sixteen. I seem to be stuck in my nine-year-old body." Katara's never heard him sound quite this snide before, not even when he was still hunting the Avatar. It gets her hackles up, but Sokka doesn't so much as bat an eye.
"A simple yes would also have worked," he says easily, getting up and heading back to the cooking fire for seconds.
Zuko glares daggers at his back until Toph clears her throat.
"Hey," Aang says as Sokka sits back down. "What happens when you get older? Like older older. What happens if you suddenly start trying to capture me again?"
Zuko blanches. Sokka once again doesn't so much as blink at the question that suddenly has chills running down Katara's spine.
"That's easy," Sokka says airily. "We'll just tie him up until he remembers again. And if he gets loose-it's not like he was all that great at catching Aang before."
"He nearly killed Aang." Katara's voice sounds flat in her own ears. Zuko hunches forward, gaze dropping to his bowl.
"That's different," Sokka waves his hand dismissively. It does nothing to stop the panic tightening in her chest.
"Because he's changed?" Katara retorts, tone dry, and three of their group flinch.
Sokka remains unfazed, or at least, he pretends to. "We'll handle it," he says. The way his eyes dart briefly toward the firebender give him away, though.
Katara knows her brother.
"You're worried too," she accuses.
There's a soft clatter as Zuko sets his still half-full bowl down, and every eye is suddenly on him. He ignores the rest of them, gaze turning on Katara. The intensity in those earnest gold eyes is almost frightening.
"No one here is going to let you hurt him," Toph grumbles, elbowing him hard.
He lets out a yelp, jerking away from her and bumping up against Aang, who lets out a "Hey!" before practically launching himself from the table.
Toph cackles and immediately gives chase. Zuko, still slightly off-balance, watches them take off, rubbing his arm and scowling after the two.
Sokka rolls his eyes and shoots a glance at Katara that clearly says, You did this. Fix it. before excusing himself.
"We aren't going to let you hurt him," she echoes Toph, trying not to make it sound like a threat. Zuko continues to watch Toph chase Aang around-no bending, just two children at play-for a moment before turning his attention back to Katara.
"I know," he admits, voice low. "You wouldn't allow it." Though subdued, his eyes are no less sincere. "You wouldn't let me hurt him-or any of the others."
"Of course," she says.
He nods as if they've come to an agreement and returns to his bowl. His porridge has to be getting cold by now. "No matter what it took, you'd stop me."
The calm finality in the words, coming from someone who looks-and sounds-younger than Toph, leaves her feeling cold. "I'm not going to let you hurt any of them," she says, leaning forward and trying not to think about the way he suddenly tenses. "But I'm not going to blame you for something that isn't your fault-or punish you for it."
His head snaps back up, eyes wide. Katara feels slightly insulted by the realization that she's surprised him.
She huffs and folds her arms over her chest. It feels defensive.
He turns his attention back to his meal.
"Just be sure," he says, as if that's the end of the conversation.
Aang appears as if out of nowhere, taps Zuko on the shoulder, shouts "You're it!" and leaps away, leaving hair and clothes whipping about wildly in his wake.
Zuko stares after him, his expression slightly baffled.
"It's a game," Katara says. It sounds angry, even if she didn't mean it that way.
"I know what tag is," his tone is dismissive. Haughty. Katara wonders if he means for it to, or if his voice is also doing things he doesn't want.
"Oh?" Her response sounds almost accusatory. "I didn't know you played games as a kid."
"Azula and her friends liked to play tag. Sometimes they included me. It never ended well."
He's watching them again. Aang is teasing Toph, lightly touching down just long enough to go airborne again, and Katara figures it's only a matter of time before the girl starts launching rocks at him.
"They're not going to hurt you." It's out before Katara even realizes she's thinking it. They both freeze, Zuko's body remaining angled toward the two younger members of their group while his gaze narrows in on her as if trying to decipher some hidden meaning behind the words. "Aang practically invited you," she adds, still not entirely in control of her mouth.
"Games are for children," It comes out like a mantra, like some sort of age-old chant passed down by the village elders, a reflex, and one that he immediately looks conflicted over.
Katara shrugs, hoping to relieve some of the tension between the two of them. "You look young enough."
"But I'm not."
By some miracle, perhaps, Sokka chooses that exact moment to get involved, grabbing the Avatar as he would have all but flown past and practically dangling him from the air while he shouts for Toph and Aang twists around, not really trying to get loose, arguing that Sokka's cheating.
Katara raises an eyebrow. "You were saying?"
Zuko meets her gaze, unimpressed.
"Suit yourself," Katara says, getting up from the table, because Toph has decided to turn on Sokka and now the two have him outnumbered. Sokka is now on the run, screaming for Katara as if his life depends on it.
She really has no other choice but to go to the aid of her brother.
Zuko never joins them. He sits and watches for a while, but when Katara looks for him a few minutes later he's meditating. By the time they're all sprawled out panting on the grass, too winded to even sit up, he's practicing his firebending.
Author's Note: Has anybody seen the new Netflix series of the show? I've heard mixed reviews, but haven't sat down and watched it myself, partly because I'm afraid it's going to be terrible, I guess. It's a shame-I was so excited when they annouced they were doing a live action version. If anyone out there's seen it and liked it, let me know?
Of course, I could just be worrying about nothing.
In other news, in addition to this stuff, I'm currently revising my second Lestrade book-we're looking at a September/October release, which is super exciting, but there's also a lot to do before then. I'll try not to drop off the face of the earth again, but make no promises. The book is Sherlock Holmes, so if you've read any of my works in that area and like them, maybe give it a shot?
Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender does not belong to me.