Summary: The gaang realized there’s some…tension between you and Zuko, and what are good friends for if not setting you two up? What they don’t realize is that you and Zuko have been together for years.
Katara senses something off.
It wasn’t like anything seems out of the ordinary—the gang is out on some sort of life-threathening mission to save the world once again. But funnily enough, that’s not what she’s been noticing with the two people right in front of her. Walking along the clear night sky and talking about random things that come into mind.
That’s the thing—it wasn’t weird for both of them to interact.
Katara, you, and Zuko decided to look for food in the forest; and it’s been years that they’ve seen one another…it’s just, those two still feel close. Almost as if they’ve been seeing each other frequently. Or maybe they could just have a strong bond after all these years.
You touched the ends of Zuko’s hair, “Your hair has gotten so long,” you twirled a strand in your finger.
Zuko lets you play with his head as he tilts his head, “Has it? I thought you liked it?”
You gasped and pressed your left palm to your chest, “Don’t you dare—”
“You wouldn’t like me without my hair?”
You rolled your eyes, “Now you are just putting words in my mouth,”
Zuko puts his hand up in surrender, “I would never do such thing,”
You move a little closer to Zuko, hands brushing, “And I would not prioritize such a thing—even if it’s your beautiful hair,”
“Not to say Aang is not handsome without hair, Katara,” you joked.
Katara giggled, “Oh, if only Aang heard that.”
You put your pointer finger on your chin, “Don’t you ever wonder what Aang would look like if he grew his hair?”
Katara shook his head, “I’ve seen him, once, when we were kids.”
Zuko turned to Katara, “I guess you’ll still stick with the bald look.”
Katara smiled and nodded at that. She wouldn’t have Aang any other way.
But Katara saw something that made her tilt her head.
You were never an outspoken person, it was difficult for people to read you unless they truly observed. And what Katara saw was the way you leaned a little too close to Zuko, even if you can hear him just fine normally. How a brush of a hand may seem accidental at first, but slowly settles and stays there. How your eyes never wonder off him, even if you need to.
You felt someone stare at you and looked away from Zuko, quickly realizing you were with someone else, you pulled back as quick as you could and looked at Katara.
You smiled at her, a little guilty, “It’s rare we get nights like this, right, Katara?”
She blinked slowly, and nodded absentmindedly.
You turned back to Zuko, unaware of the growing smile that the woman behind you mustered.
You’d thank her later, she thought.
Sokka believed that Zuko would be the last in the group to be…intangled with someone.
Every conversation ends the same way, “I’m an expert at love! Zuko, buddy, you should be asking me for advice when it comes to this. Don’t you need, what, fire baby heirs?”
Zuko would usually roll his eyes, “Didn’t your last girlfriend turn into the moon?”
He just couldn’t believe Zuko would fall in love with someone; after all, with all the fire lord duties and his awkwardness, how could he?
“Hey…Zuko?” He started, “Don’t you wanna get that check by Katara?”
He pointed at the bruised hand of Zuko.
Zuko looked down and inspected it, “It’s fine, ointment would do.”
Sokka nodded, he gets it, not everything has to be healed by Katara.
He tilted his head, “Wait, do we have ointment—”
“Sokka!” Aang called out.
He looked back as Aang waved at him. He walks towards Aang and shouts, “Wait, hold that thought! I’ll ask Aang or Katara,”
Zuko, however, was already heading somewhere. He went towards the sleeping Appa and saw the person who could just heal his wound.
“Zuko!” Sokka called out. He got no response.
“I got ointment, didn’t know Toph would carry some! You know, considering she’s blind!” Still no response.
He was just about to give up and leave the ointment in Zuko’s tent when he heard a voice. Of course, you might know where Zuko is.
He started approaching the sleeping Appa, but slowed his steps as he heard you talking to someone.
“Ugh, you fought those thieves hours ago. Yet, you still stayed silent.” You groaned.
Sokka froze on the spot. Now he knows where Zuko went. He should probably leave, but the chuckle Zuko let out made him stop in his tracks.
As Zuko spoke, Sokka took a peak. What he saw was Zuko leaning against Appa, using it as a pillow, and you sitting directly in front of him, adding on the ointment. It was soft. Warm. Intimate.
“Of course you of all people would say ‘it’s not that bad.’ Seriously, we have Katara, might I remind you, a healer. You don’t have to even put on this.” You continued applying the ointment roughly.
Zuko winced, “Well, I’m just testing if you can become a healer one day, you have the potential—“
“Yeah, sure, a non-bender healing,” you cut off.
Zuko clamped his hand over your moving one, “Hey…a healer is not only here to save people, but to remind us that we can still keep going despite what has happened,”
You sighed, “I still don’t understand why you need me to put this on, your other hand is in good condition,” you motioned to his good hand on top of yours.
Zuko started to stand up and that’s Sokka’s que to move out of there. He turned back and sprinted towards the others.
He saw the campfire while the others were seated around. Aang saw him and grew wiry, “Are you okay, Sokka?”
“Yep. Never been better.”
Oh hoho, Zuko is gonna thank him later.
Toph doesn’t need two eyes to see there’s tension between two people. When it comes to feelings, people are blind compared to her. All she could hear was,
Zuko tied his hair into a ponytail, “I’ll be fixing the airship—”
You tilted your head, “Do you need help with that?”
You stood up, “I’ll get some wood,”
Zuko was already by your side, “I’ll come.”
It was driving Toph insane. Two people, who can see each other just fine, are blind to see what’s underneath the niceties and pleasantries.
So, she decided to have a game of her own.
While the gang was flying on Appa to relocate to their next destination. Aang and Katara were stirring Appa while the rest were in the back. Sokka was finishing up and yapping about his new invention, you braiding Toph’s hair, and Zuko staring into the clouds.
Toph poked your side, which caused you to giggle, “Can you describe the person on your right?”
You looked to the person on your right, “Zuko?” You squinted your eyes, “Why?”
“Bet you can’t say something nice about him.”
You look at Zuko and he looks back at you. Silently discussing what’s happening, Toph, Katara, and Sokka perk up their ears in anticipation of what you’re about to say.
“Pfft. Basic!” Sokka exclaimed, “Anyone can look good in red.”
You furrowed your eyebrows, “He’s gotten buff—”
“That’s my compliment!” Toph sat up, “No one takes it. And no one says it better than I do.”
“But that’s a general compliment!”
“Not specific enough for Zuko,” Katara chimed in.
You sighed and rubbed your temples.
Zuko looked at you, his lips twitching, “Is it so hard to say something nice about me?”
You clenched your teeth, “Not helping.”
Toph put her hand near her ear, “What was that? Can’t hear you being nice!”
Zuko leaned in closer, “It can’t be that difficult, or are you just incapable of being nice?”
Your eye twitches and you sigh, “Okay, okay, I’ll spill it.”
The three slowly look at you while you come up with what you’re gonna say. Aang continues to look straight ahead.
Toph can hear your heart thumping, Sokka’s leaning in now, and Katara is staring daggers at you.
This is it, the moment they’ve all been waiting for.
Appa shook violently and spun as you and Toph grabbed onto each other, Sokka let out a never-ending scream, Zuko shut his eyes, and Katara held onto Aang.
Aang stabilizes his grip on the lead, as Appa finally stops spinning. Toph and Sokka turned their heads to the avatar.
“Aang!” They both said in unison.
“Are you alright, Aang?” Katara touched his cheek.
Aang rubbed his nape, “Oh, sorry, I kinda lost hold on Appa—”
Sokka poked his forehead hard, “Aren’t you the avatar? How could you let go of that simple rope?”
“Yeah, twinkletoes, aren’t you supposed to save the world—that includes us, you know!”
While the others are arguing, you turn to face Zuko with a grimace written all over your face.
Zuko let out a sigh and shook his head. He looks to his right, and you follow his gaze. You move closer to him, sitting beside him as you watch the beautiful fiery sky slowly turn to a gentle and soft shade of the ocean.
As the crew got ready to unpack and set up camp. You find Aang still with Appa fixing his lead.
“Thanks, Aang,” you pet Appa while looking at him.
Aang smiled, “Don’t need to mention it…just, please don't bring up my hair to Katara again.”
You shook your head, “Okay, okay, I won’t.”
After securing the lead on Appa, “But seriously, you can’t even say one nice thing about Zuko? That would save us from, you know, dying.”
You waved him off, “You know if I do that, I won’t be able to stop.”
That’s true, after all, Aang witnessed it first hand.
“Right, just don’t bring the sensitive topic to Katara again,” he rubbed his head, “She’s been asking me non-stop how I’d look with hair.”
You started walking towards the camp, “seriously, though, why don’t you just grow your hair out?”
Aang went after you, “You know why I can’t!”
You looked back at him, “Then what will happen to you and Katara’s children? Will they also be bald?”
Aang flushed at this, “That’s a conversation we won’t be having!”
a/n: back in my zuko era!!
