Zutara headcanons for @mikitheswiftie from your Secret Santa! Hope you had a wonderful holiday!
First, Zuko didn’t realize he was in love with Katara until weeks after his coronation as Fire Lord and Katara was already home in the South Pole with her family
It was sort of a slow realization too, one that sort of built up over time only to almost blow up in his face with that sudden oh moment.
Actually, it was Azula who helped him figure out he was in love with Katara. He had gone to visit her in her room to talk, and he asked her why she broke the rules of the Agni Kai and aimed for Katara. Azula gave him that sly smirk she always gave, and just said “oh, I think you know.”
Of course, Zuko didn’t tell anyone he loved Katara because how could he? What was he supposed to do? Run away from the Fire Nation and head to the South Pole? Oh no, he’ll keep his feelings right *here* and one day, he’ll die.
Katara it was a little different. In her heart, she always knew she loved Zuko, but she assumed that it was the same type of love she had for everyone else. It didn’t occur to her that her heart sped up the more she thought about him or that her palms went all sweaty whenever she was around him. No, no, nothing strange about that.
It was almost a year later, when she and Sokka were heading back to the Fire Nation for celebrate the first year of peace between the nations, that Katara finally came to terms with her feelings.
For Katara, it was more like Sokka had to beat it out of her. “Sokka, what do you mean I am always writing to him and I get this stupid smile on my face when I talk about him. What do you mean it’s not normal for my palms to sweat whenever I’m around him? Sokka, Sokka, what do you mean I always turn red when you mention him?”
Basically Azula and Sokka are Tired, and they had to help these idiots figure out they were in love.
So at the peace signing, Zuko and Katara are of course extremely excited to see each other, but they’re so awkward because they don’t want to admit their feelings out loud to each other, so they end up just pining the whole time while Sokka just hits his forehead in frustration.
Finally on the last day, Zuko finally just blurts it out to Katara that he thinks he’s in love with her, and Katara just starts laughing and can’t stop no matter how hard she tries because “Zuko, you dummy I’ve been trying to tell you I love you.” and Zuko is so relieved, but he’s not actually sure what to do.
But, you know, teenagers, so they start freaking out because “we’re only kids, maybe we don’t really mean that, maybe it’s just almost dying together that’s causing these feelings, yeah that’s it”. So, yes, they admit they’re in love with each other, but they decide not to act on those feelings mostly in fear of being judged.
So they continue living, and with each passing year their love for each other never really fades, especially when Katara permanently moves to Caldera City as Ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe when she was almost 19.
Anyways, once Katara is permanently in the Fire Nation, Zuko tries to actually start something and while Katara is receptive, they keep their relationship a secret because, again, they don’t want people to judge them. Plus, they lowkey love the secrecy of sneaking around the Palace.
Zuko’s heart still almost stops whenever Katara tells him she loves him or whenever she strokes the scar on his face, and Katara’s heart still flutters in her chest whenever Zuko calls her his.
And they’re happy, really they are. That’s all that matters to them.