He'd been dropping hints all day. It was to the point where Katara was getting a little annoyed, but it was rare that Zuko was this excited for anything. Eventually, Katara decided it was too cute for her to be annoyed. Besides, she liked it when she got to see this side of Zuko. The eager, excited, often goofy side. It was proof that she was his best friend. He never got like this with anyone else. Not with Sokka when they got up to their shenanigans. Not with Toph when they started snarking on the snobbish nobles from across the world. Not with Suki when they talked weapons and strategy. Not with...
The time had finally come. Once the meetings were done for the day, and the interminable banquet was over, Zuko instructed Katara to meet him at the balcony overlooking the palace's private garden. Suddenly, she was nervous, though why she couldn't say. She'd met Zuko here countless times. Sometimes even later than now. Sometimes after they were both supposed to be in bed, and he'd come to her with his hair unbound and dressed in nothing but his thin sleep clothes. Sometimes so late that she found herself curled into his side, dozing on his shoulder while he kept her warm. She hadn't been nervous those times. But he'd never wanted to specifically show her something.
The sound of Zuko clearing his throat was the first she'd heard of his approach. Blushing, Katara berated herself for being so unobservant. Then, Zuko stepped out into the light of the low burning sconces. He was still in full regalia. Whatever he'd been doing for the twenty minutes she'd been waiting, it was clearly not getting changed into something more comfortable. He wore a wide, nervous grin as he waited for some sort of reaction from Katara. It took her a few confused moments before she saw them in his hair. Beads. Blue and white beads lined up on a strand of his hair leading back up into his crown. The colors clashed horribly with the red, gold and brown of his robes, and he had put them in wrong. Still, Katara smiled at him.
"It looks good!" she said, stepping closer to run her fingers over them. Ivory and wood. Fantastic quality. "Where did you get them?"
"Your father," Zuko told her. "He gave them to me the day before yesterday before he and Sokka left. He said I was an honorary Southern Tribesman now."
Katara felt her heart clench, and tears suddenly prickled at her eyes. She said a silent prayer of thanks for the low light. There was no way she could've explained to Zuko why she wanted to cry. Why she was so moved by her father's gesture towards Zuko. By how honored Zuko was to accept. Instead she took his hand and tugged him over towards a bench.
"Come, let me get a better look," she said as they settled on their seat. Zuko leaned in close. She could smell his cologne, faded so late in the day, but still that distinctly spicy, woody smell she'd associated with him for years. From this close, she could see he'd pulled his hair haphazardly through the beads, trying to fit as many as he could on two locks, each framing his face. She liked the way they stood out on his dark hair, and she smiled as she ran her fingers down through the ends of his hair.
"Do they suit me?" Zuko asked. His voice was strangely low. As if he was afraid of being overheard.
"Yeah," Katara assured him. "They look good on you. Maybe later I can show you how the men back home wear them." She ran her fingers over the beads again, letting them trail down the length of his hair, grazing his jaw. She paused at his neck when she saw him swallow hard. His eyes bore into hers intensely. He swallowed again.
"I-I'd like that," he said in his gentle rasp. "I'd like it a lot."
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