Some first kiss fluffiness for @zkdrabbledecember ✨💙
Day 2: Please Don’t Lie
“Katara, I’m fine.”
“Please, don’t lie.” She sat on the edge of the bed as she often had in the past week rolling her eyes at his stubborn insistence.
“Really.” Zuko winced as he sat up and tried to disguise the expression by turning it to a tight smile. “I mean it, I’m feeling better.”
Katara considered him dubiously. “Sure, and I’m a platypus bear.”
“Why won’t you believe me?”
“You want me to get Toph in here to prove me right?”
He considered this for a moment, but recalled the knowing smirk the earthbender had given him earlier that morning. ‘How’s the healing going, Zuko? Are you sure your heart is alright? It’s beating awfully fast…’ “No,” he grunted. “That’s not necessary.”
Katara’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “Thought not.”
“I’m the Fire Lord now, you know. I could order you out of here if you don’t let me get to my work.”
“You could,” she admitted, “but you won’t. You wouldn’t dare.”
She was right. He wouldn’t. Didn’t want to either. Not when she was laughing like that. Thank the spirits, Toph was not there to comment loudly on what his heart was doing in response to that beautiful sound.
Her expression turned suddenly serious. “What’s wrong?” She reached for the collar of his robe without asking and pulled it to the side, exposing the pale pink of scar tissue on his chest. Her fingers ghosted lightly over it, she leaned closer, scrutinizing the surface, her breath warming his skin.
“Katara, I told you, I’m fine.” Zuko caught her hand with his, meaning to pull it away from the wound, instead he found himself holding it longer than necessary, unwilling to relinquish the contact.
“And I told you, don’t lie to me! There was a look on your face. Now, where does it hurt?” She pulled against Zuko’s grasp, already reaching for her water pouch.
He reluctantly lowered his empty hand back against the cool, silk sheets.
“Zuko?”
“Here.” His hand tapped his chest, in sync with the frantic rhythm of his heartbeat as he studied her face --memorized the elegant curve of her cheekbones, the pattern of freckles forming on her nose from time spent in the Fire Nation heat, the fierce determination in her eyes...
They softened now as they turned to the spot his finger had indicated. “There?” she asked, sounding surprised. “There’s no wound there.”
She was right, his scar was lower. He was not worried about that ache just now. In fact, the moment he had felt her hand on his chest the pain of before had been forgotten. Screw lightning. Its’ effect was nothing compared to how she made him feel.
“Is it your heart? Does something feel wrong?” Of course, she was still thinking like a healer.
“Not wrong…” Zuko clarified, attempting to ease some of her worry. At least, I hope it’s not...
Katara’s hands fluttered through the air in exasperation. “You’re just messing with me, aren’t you? To get back at me for making you take a day off? You should be resting, you nearly died. You really shouldn’t have been out of bed for the coronation. You rushed things and now look at you you’re going to take longer to heal and who knows if--”
Her speech halted when Zuko gently reached up and pulled her hands back to rest above his heart. For a moment she was silent as the vibrations sang wildly into her fingertips. Then she exhaled softly, slowly and brought her eyes up to meet his. “It’s not wrong…” she confessed quietly, understanding. It was an answer to an unspoken question.
“Really?” Zuko held his breath. He hadn’t dared hope. Why would he? What reason did he have to think she would…
She tilted forward and pressed her lips to his in a brief flash of heat, her fingers curling on his chest as she withdrew --as though to prevent her from doing so, to anchor her there in that moment.
“Please, don’t lie…” she murmured, echoing her earlier words. There was pain in her voice and tears in her eyes. “I thought I’d lost you, so please… Promise there’s nothing wrong? You’re really feeling okay?”
Okay? Okay?! He was more than okay. He was the best he had ever been. Katara had just kissed him and Agni, he couldn’t believe it... Katara had just kissed him. Still, she obviously needed reassuring. What could he say? How did he tell her that she made him forget pain? How did he tell her she reminded him of all that was good in the world when for so long there had been only bad? How could she ever understand how his heart soared at the sight of her, at her touch, at the sound of her voice? She hadn’t brought him back from the dead, she had brought him back to life.
He cupped her face, tangled his fingers in her hair, pulled her back to him, and kissed her like it was the last thing he might ever do and the only thing he would ever want to, and she kissed him back the same.
When at last they broke away for air, Katara's cheeks were flushed, a mirror of the warmth Zuko felt spreading across his own face. They sat catching their breath. Her eyes met his as he lifted her hand back to his heart with a soft smile.
“I’m all better,” he promised.
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Thanks for reading, let me know what you think if you feel so inclined and if you liked this you can check out my other works on AO3 where I go by quarantineddreamer 🌙
Best wishes,
B
