#zutara fluff

[ronnierad365]

this was originally supposed to be a low effort sketch for a friend but i got carried away

[blackcatobservatory]

Zutara HeadCanons I have seen this week alone:

In Which Zuko Loves Making Popcorn (Via Firebending Of Course) For Katara Before Curling Up and Watching Rom-Coms Wtih Her

In Which Katara Has Arachnophobia So Zuko Carefully Relocates Spiders For Her and Never Makes Fun of Her for It

In Which Katara Has Cramps So of Course Zuko Offers to Be Her Personal Heating Pad

In Which Zuko Makes an Impressive Set of Preparations Should Katara Ever Suddenly Turn Into a Worm

I'm going to (happily) die of diabeetus being part of this subfandom, y'all... 😂

[burntsecrets]

A Song for Her

Pairing: Zuko and Katara Word Count: 968 Prompt: For Zutara Week 2024 | Day 5: Melody @zutaraweek Author's Note: This is a modern AU where Katara and Zuko are in their mid-20s. Warnings: mentions of parental abandonment, grief, emotional vulnerability, mild angst, discussion of unresolved trauma, themes of healing, rain/weather imagery, light romantic tension, introspection, public performance anxiety

The coffee shop was tucked into the corner of a bustling city street, its warm light spilling onto the damp sidewalk. Raindrops traced lazy patterns down the windows, catching the glow of neon signs and traffic lights outside. Inside, the faint hum of conversation mingled with the clatter of cups and the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

Katara leaned back in her chair, tapping her finger against the rim of her cup. She had chosen a table near the small stage in the corner, where an old upright piano stood waiting for the next performer. Her legs were crossed, one foot bouncing to the rhythm of her thoughts. The deep blue of her scarf matched her eyes, which flicked to the door every few moments.

Zuko arrived five minutes late, as usual, his dark hair dripping from the rain and plastered to his forehead. He scanned the room before spotting her, offering a lopsided smile that she pretended not to notice. His leather jacket was wet, and his hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he made his way to her.

"You’re late," she said, voice light but sharp enough to make him squirm.

"Blame the traffic," he muttered, shaking his jacket off and slinging it over the back of the chair. "Or the rain."

She arched a brow but didn’t press him further. Instead, she nudged a steaming cup toward him. “I ordered for you. Jasmine tea.”

He hesitated, then picked up the cup. The faintest smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he took a sip. "Thanks."

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, the din of the café filling the spaces between them. Zuko’s fingers drummed against the table, restless as ever. Katara noticed how his eyes kept straying to the piano.

“You’re thinking about it again,” she said, not unkindly.

“What?”

“The piano.”

He glanced at her, startled, then down at his cup. “No, I’m not.”

“Zuko.” Her tone was soft, teasing. “I know you. You keep looking at it like it owes you an apology.”

He huffed a laugh, the sound low and unexpected. “Maybe it does.”

Katara’s lips curved into a small smile, her eyes tracing the curve of his jaw as he stared at the stage. He had always carried a quiet intensity, like a storm held just out of reach. She wondered if he knew how much it softened when he smiled.

A barista stepped onto the stage, announcing the next performer. Zuko stiffened as a young woman approached the piano, her fingers brushing the keys before she began to play. The first few notes spilled into the air, gentle and melancholic. Zuko’s jaw tightened, and his gaze dropped to the table.

Katara watched him carefully, the way his shoulders hunched ever so slightly, the way his hands clenched into fists on his lap. She reached across the table, her fingers brushing against his. “What’s wrong?”

He didn’t pull away, but he didn’t look at her either. “It’s nothing.”

“Zuko,” she pressed, her voice quieter now. “Talk to me.”

He exhaled slowly, his hand turning under hers to grip it tightly. “It reminds me of my mom. She used to play... before she left.”

The words were barely audible, but they hung in the air between them, fragile and heavy. Katara’s thumb moved in gentle circles against his knuckles, her touch grounding him.

“You never told me that,” she said softly.

He shrugged, his eyes fixed on the table. “It’s not something I talk about.”

The melody swelled, filling the room with bittersweet emotion. Katara’s heart ached for him, for the boy he had been and the man he was still becoming. She tightened her grip on his hand, offering silent support.

“I think you should play,” she said after a moment.

He blinked, finally meeting her gaze. “What?”

“The piano,” she said, nodding toward the stage. “You should play. For her. For yourself.”

He stared at her, his amber eyes searching hers for something—doubt, pity, or perhaps reassurance. Whatever he found, it made him stand, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.

“Zuko—” she started, but he was already walking toward the stage.

The barista gave him a curious look as he approached, but Zuko simply nodded toward the piano. “Mind if I...?”

“Go ahead,” the barista said, stepping aside.

Katara’s breath caught as he sat at the bench, his fingers hovering over the keys. For a moment, he just sat there, his shoulders tense, his head bowed. Then, slowly, he began to play.

The first notes were hesitant, like a whisper, but they grew stronger with each passing second. The melody was haunting and beautiful, a cascade of emotions that filled the room and silenced the chatter. It spoke of loss and longing, of love and resilience.

Katara’s chest tightened as she listened, her eyes never leaving him. She could see the memories in the way his hands moved, the pain and hope in every note. He played like he was telling a story, one he had carried for far too long.

When the final note faded, the room erupted into applause. Zuko let out a shaky breath, his hands falling to his lap. He turned back to Katara, his expression unreadable, but she saw the flicker of vulnerability in his eyes.

She stood, meeting him halfway as he stepped off the stage. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. He buried his face in her hair, his breath warm against her skin.

“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

“For what?” she asked, her cheek resting against his chest.

“For reminding me,” he said, his arms tightening around her. “That some things are worth remembering.”

Katara smiled against him, her heart full. “Always.”

[mycomfortblanket]

“Doesn’t take an idiot to figure it out” for Percabeth for your prompt list?

And if you feel like it, maybe “friends don’t look at each other that way” for Zutara, pretty please!

Honest to god couldn't think of anything for Percabeth. I am so sorry. I really let the fandom down on that one.

BUT. Here is the one for Zutara.

Katara watches as Aang helps Zuko down from his throne and the dais in an unobvious way as to not show the extent of his injuries from Azula. He begins to guide Zuko back to his chambers to that he can rest for a while before the actual party begins. After Ozai and Azula, everything happened very quickly and none of them really had any time to talk, let alone Katara and Zuko.

Zuko was immediately rushed away for healing as well as to begin the process of assuming the throne and Katara was running to and from healing people that had been hurt in Oazi's wake as well as some of the lingering servants that were harmed from the outrageous heat from Azula and Zuko's Agni Kai.

But since Zuko is going to lay down for a bit and is in need of another healing session, maybe now would be the perfect time to talk. As Katara stares after them until they disappear behind one of the large doors that leads back into the palace, Sokka comes to stand at her shoulder.

"You could be less obvious, you know" he murmurs to her.

"Hm?" she gives a non-committal hum of a question, but her focus is still on the door that Aang and Zuko just disappeared behind.

"The way you look at Zuko. You could be less obvious about your attraction towards him." This gets her attention. She whips her head towards her brother, her mouth opening and closing like a koi fish out of water as she tries to think of something in reply.

Her brother holds up his hands as if to ward off any attack she may put on him, "Hey, hey. I'm just stating what the rest of us are thinking. Maybe you should go talk to him?" he says, his voice gentle as he gives a slight nod towards the open door.

The fight drops from Katara's shoulders and she lets out a long sigh, "I don't even know what I would say to him. I don't exactly have the intel on if he feels the same towards me."

"Never know unless you try," Sokka says with a cheeky smile. He places a hand on her shoulder and gives her an encouraging look before turning and walking away, probably to go look for Suki.

Katara looks back towards the palace doors and taking a deep breath, she begins to walk in that direction.

~~~

Aang is just setting Zuko down onto the bed when Katara walks into his bed chamber. She hears them talking in low voices and Aang looks like he is about to help Zuko out of his outer robe when Katara speaks up, "I can help with that." Her voice jerks both of the boys heads towards her. "He needs another healing session anyways. Aang, I think Toph was looking for you," she says with a slight smile.

A blush immediately is prominent on his cheeks and he lowers his gaze, a small smile coming to his lips. The change between Toph and Aang had been very gradual, but it's hard to say that none of them saw it coming. Once he had helped her overcome her fears about the ocean and got her to go swimming at Ember Island, it was just a matter of time before one of them made a move.

Aang all but sprints out of the room to go find Toph and Katara is left standing at the door, wringing her hands. The awkwardness she feels is all consuming but she shakes her head, squares her shoulders, and moves towards the bed. Zuko is already attempting to shrug out of the robe with little success.

She gently grabs the collar of the robe and brings it down his shoulders until it pools around his waist. Next is his outer shirt, a tunic that is tied in two places, one near the collarbone and the other at his waist.

Katara makes quick work of untying the knots and pulling the fabric off. She has to help him lift his arms since any movement that pulls at his chest causes him to wince.

"I never got to thank you for what you did," she whispers as she folds the tunic and lays it on the nightstand next to the bed. She looks back over at him and sees his head ducked and refusing to meet her gaze. He nods his head a little in acknowledgement that she said something and lifts his hands to undo the buttons of his tank top.

"Here, let me." She moves back to him and starts to unbutton his shirt. Zuko's legs spreading just a little as she comes to stand in front of him. Without noticing, she takes a small step closer to him and into the cage of his thighs.

The quick intake of breath is what makes her aware of how close she is to standing to him, but he isn't asking for her to back up nor does he pull away, so she doesn't pull back. She finishes the buttons and pulls the shirt off, and again, folds it and sets it on the nightstand.

"I know that fighting-" Katara stops herself just before saying Azula's name. The look on Zuko's face as he watched Azula disintegrate before them was devastating, to say the least. "I know what happened wasn't easy, but you took that lightning bolt without hesitation," her voice is filled with awe as she remembers the hopelessness she felt as she watched the bolt come closer and closer to her.

"You would have done the same," he says, his voice a quiet rasp.

"Right, but you still shouldn't have had to do that." Zuko's top half is completely bare expect for the bandages that wrap around his middle. Taking a small breath of courage, she rests one of her hands on his shoulders and the other just under his chin, lifting his gaze towards hers.

"What you did was completely selfless and I cannot thank you enough for saving me." Zuko's eyes shift back and forth as they look into her own before he huffs out a degrading laugh and shakes his head. "What?" she asks, confusion furrowing her brow. Did he really think that he was not worthy of her thank you?

"Nothing," he says and shifts so that he is lying down on the bed. Pursing her lips, Katara moves around to the other side of the bed so that she can be more comfortable while healing him. His last session took nearly two hours and by the time she was done, her knees hurt so badly from kneeling on the cobblestone.

She picks up a pair of scissors that are on the nightstand and begins cutting away the bandages. The burned flesh sticks to the gauze a little as she begins to pull it away. Seeing him wince, she shoots him a pitying look, but continues her work.

Soon, he is free of the bandages and she is encasing her hands in water. When she sets them on his chest and water begins to glow blue, she sees the tension immediately drain out of him and he lets out a long sigh of relief.

"Feel good?" she asks, her voice barely a murmur. He just nods his head and closes his eyes, letting the sensation wash over him. They sit there in silence together as she continues to heal him. A few more sessions and he'll be at the point where the regular palace healers can care for him if she isn't around. The silence stretches on and every so often, she glances over at him to check on his pain level. The last time she looks over at him, she finds him already looking back.

"What?" she asks. He's quiet for a moment, his eyes again searching hers before he just shakes his head and leans back down onto his pillow. "No seriously, what? That's the second time you've looked at me like that."

Zuko lets out a small sigh before opening his eyes and looking back up at her. He opens his mouth once or twice, trying to figure out how to voice his thoughts. "Finally, he whispers, "The way you look at me is..." he trails off, not entirely sure where he was going to go with that sentence.

"The way I look at you? What about it?" Confusion shows itself on Katara's face and the blue glow of the water encasing her hands starts to fade as she loses focus. She turns her attention back to her hands and the light brightens again.

"It's just... I don't know. The way you look at me," he says, his eyes are purposefully avoiding hers. Katara's inhale is sharp and she's sure he heard it because when he looks back at her, his eyes are molten. "Friends don't look at friends the way you're looking at me," he finally finishes.

Katara's eyes grow wide and she bites her lip. The blue of the water fades all together and knowing that she won't be able to get back her attention she needs to focus, she sends the water back towards the basin.

She sits back on her heels and fiddles with her fingers in her lap. Biting her lip, she hesitates, but finally looks back up and towards his face. They hold eye contact for a moment before he is slowly starting to sit up.

Pain flashes across his face as he struggles, and Katara quickly reaches out to steady him and help him into a sitting position.

Katara casts a quick glance back at his eyes and sees that they are boring into hers, looking for answers, and the look in them warms her to her come. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was-" she starts.

"It's okay, Katara," he interrupts her.

"Sokka called me out on that too," she whispers. She pauses thinking he's going to question her about what Sokka said, but he just remains quiet. "He said I was making it too obvious."

This is what gets him to ask, "Making what too obvious?" he asks. Katara finally looks up at him through her lashes and sees that his eyes are trained on her lips. She swallows hard and opens them to reply. But before anything can come out though, Zuko slides a hand behind her neck and pulls her into a deep kiss.

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[soopersara]

When the time comes for Zuko and Katara to think about marriage, Zuko decides that he's going to do this proposal thing properly. He's going to find out all of the Southern Water Tribe's engagement traditions, plan everything out meticulously, and most importantly, surprise Katara with the best proposal she could ever imagine. Because she's incredible, and Zuko still can't believe that she's agreed to be with him sometimes - if he can achieve perfection once in his life, this is the time for it. Plus there's the fact that he can basically never surprise Katara with anything - they know each other so well and Katara's so perceptive that she can usually see a surprise coming a mile away.

But this time, he manages to keep everything under wraps. He discusses things with Kanna, Hakoda, and Sokka to find out more about the Southern Water Tribe's customs, he spends months perfecting his engagement gifts for Katara, and he pays extra close attention to her preferences so that his eventual proposal will be just perfect. They've discussed marriage before - both of them know that they want a life together - but Katara doesn't suspect a thing as Zuko prepares to actually set their future into motion.

But then the big day comes, and things go... not quite according to plan.

It's not that they go wrong. No, Zuko's plans work out the way he expects them to - he has Katara's favorite meal prepared, and they go on a long walk around her favorite place, and she doesn't even notice the ornate box filled with (most of) her engagement gifts stowed just out of sight when they come to a stop. Everything is working just as it should, and technically, there shouldn't be anything that could possibly disrupt his plans.

But when Zuko takes her hand and looks into her eyes and says her name in that soft, soft voice, something clicks in Katara's mind, and her eyes snap wide open. He can't get out another word before she presses her hand to her mouth and lets out a squeal of excitement.

Zuko wants to be annoyed. He really, really does, but the best he can manage is a brief, withering look and, "Are you going to let me finish?" before the warmth and brilliance of her excitement gets the best of him.

Katara can't stop grinning, but she nods, one hand still pressed to her mouth to suppress a squeal, and motions for him to continue with the other hand.

Afterward, when Zuko thinks back to the day that he proposed to the love of his life, he can't actually remember the words he used. He has no idea what exactly he said when he promised the rest of his life to Katara, but he will always remember the way that she leapt straight into his arms as she said 'yes.'

[strawberrymilkyumyum]

we've all seen zutara secretly dating, but what about hiding in plain sight dating? like, they're incredibly open about the fact that they're dating. they kiss each other on the cheek, cuddle together, gush about each other, and do all the things normal couples do, but like... no one realizes they're dating.

everyone just assumes that they're just the tried parents of the group and take everything they do as platonic. zuko gives katara a forehead kiss? he's doing it for the homies. katara cuddles into zuko while they're hanging out? idk man they're just really close.

no one even thinks about the possibility that they could be dating, because that would be weird to them. they're katara and zuko, good pals. so what if they live together now? they needed to cut down on rent.

so when katara and zuko get engaged, no one knows what's happening. katara posts a picture of the ring and a picture of them kissing but it's too dark to tell who the other person is. sokka and aang really have no idea who she could possibly be engaged to. and when zuko posts the same photos with his caption being a red heart, they just assume that zuko was really happy for her. why wouldn't he be? they're best friends!

because they're best friends, sokka and suki don't think twice about the fact that katara is bringing zuko home for the holidays and not her fiance.

hakoda greets them all with a hug and wraps katara and zuko into his arms saying 'we're so happy to have you be apart of the family son!'

sokka goes, 'no, dad, they're not together. zuko and katara are just friends.'

katara, zuko, and hakoda just stare at him for two straight minutes and then katara shouts, 'WEVE BEEN DATING FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS!'

[panda-p3]

Wdym this isn’t canon, this is literally the Western Air Temple episode 👁👄👁

[luzveldibujos]

More Zutara 🥺🥺