zutara prompt: pining with a happy ending?
Zuko was gone.
Okay, fine. Thatsounded melodramatic even to Katara, but it had been over a week since she’dseen him and he’d promised he’d be back in five days. That’s two days longerthan expected without running her fingers through his hair, feeling his breathtickle her neck, seeing him first thing as her eyes fluttered open in themorning.
Before her head becametoo muddled, the waterbender decided to start her daily exercises. The coolblue water of the stream soothed her, and the birds chirping assured her thatthe day was too bright to mope.
Still, Katara didn’tcare what kind of life altering mission this was, she just wanted him back. However much shetried, she could not clear her head of all that she longed for, could not stop herself from trying to feel a burning flame that came not from bending, but frombody heat, from Zuko’s lips on hers and his fingers in her—
Her senses honed in onthe slight noise from her left, a quiet shuffling through the thick, leafy bramble.Getting her water ship to the ready, Katara warned the intruder.
“Come out now, andquickly.” But nothing moved from inside the brush. So Katara dropped the whipand instead drew the water from the plants, green shriveling to brown as the wetmass seized on the attacker and rose him above the ground.
Instead of a banditlike she’d expected, a wet and tired Zuko faced her, six feet above the ground.
“Oh shit, I’m sosorry. Zuko, let me just…” Flustered, Katara abruptly dropped Zuko into thestream.
Spluttering, and nowsopping instead of simply wet, Zuko made to stand up. “I get it, you don’t wantme anymore, I’ll just go.”
Katara could not helpbut laugh, and moved to wipe her lover’s hair out of his eyes. It had grownlong in the summer months and she was glad to have her hands on him once again.“It’s so good to have you back,” she smiled, and kissed him, first on hisscarred eye, and then on the other.
Zuko grabbed thewrists that were now resting on his shoulders and gave a sharp tug. The splashthat resounded from her thrashing was loud, and Katara allowed herself tobecome wet as well, a sort of romantic gesture to the firebender underneathher. She was more focused on the kiss Zuko had initiated than drying herselfanyway.
She smiled again andreturned the embrace. “Welcome home Zuko.”