So, on stories, if someone leaves ten reviews, to thank them I write a drabble. Sometimes they turn out really, really good. On Watpad and A03, this story is posted under the collection called 'Karios' and it doesn't have a name. On my tumblr, youngbloodlex22, it's just posted individually!

Hope you good people here on enjoy it too :)

I have found myself enjoying this one so much that it's entirely possible I'll continue to update it in little snapshots without a drabble redeemed, but I can't promise any set update schedule or anything. I mean, this story is meant to be read in little connected one-shots anyway, so this story will always be simultaneously completed and uncompleted, if that makes sense? I have two chapters/one shots of this written, so I think I'll update the second part I have in a couple days, give or take :)

Katara shoved the last box Tetris-style into her trunk, rolling her eyes at Sokka, who hovered with a scowl on his face.

"Tell me why again you have to go to college so far away?" He asked, settling his arms into a cross, "It's crazy! What does that place have that Alaska doesn't? Not your entire family, for one."

"Sokka," Katara slammed the door harder than she needed to, "It just has other things. New Mexico might not be better than home, but it is different. Besides, college is just four years, then I'll be back."

"I don't like it," He admitted after a very long moment, "But Lord knows nothing I will say can change your mind, huh?"

"Nope." Katara agreed, but then went to give him a last hug, "I'll miss you Sokka."

"Yeah, none of that mushy stuff," Sokka said, turning so she didn't see the way his eyes were watering a little, "I'll miss you too, but only because you're one of the few cool people around here. Who am I going to hang out with now? The kid that licks frozen poles?"

Katara gave him a withering look, rolling her eyes, "You'll figure it out." She assured.

"Fine, fine." Sokka intercepted her attempt to open the driver's door, "Just promise me one thing? Don't go off and date anyone because otherwise, I'll have to break their nose."

"Right. Whatever." She rolled her eyes, but at his hardened gaze gave a huff, "I promise." She said holding up two intertwined fingers, "See?"

"Get out of here," Sokka bumped her shoulder, "Deserter." But, as he said it, he was almost smiling.

Katara watched him vanish in her rear-view mirror, his figure shrinking until it wasn't visible at all. And then, Katara drove and drove and drove.

She would remember this conversation specifically a week after moving into her dorm. She was on an all girl's floor, so there weren't many boys to meet personally.
School didn't begin for another week and her roommate- a girl she wasn't sure if she liked yet- didn't seem interested in guys to begin with.

Azula had just about thrown a fit when she discovered not only was she in the crappiest dorm on campus, but she had to share something that Katara would have called a closet with an entire other person. Katara had awkwardly shuffled in the background as Azula argued with the RA about her rooming assignment. The RA seemed cool as a cucumber, probably having dealt with all sorts of people, quietly explaining the dorms were a lottery system so no one was more likely to get a 'good' dorm vs a 'bad' dorm.

"But my father owns this campus!" Azula argued.

The RA had merely shrugged, uncaring, and Katara tried looking up proof of these claims but came up short. Azula didn't bother setting her things up, because she kept telling Katara she'd be moving to a single in the nicest dorms, but Katara had a feeling she rarely told the truth. She wasn't mean to Katara, but Katara's dreams of moving in and becoming best friends with her roommate were pretty much shot down.

So, they existed like two acquaintances; Katara's side filled with her things and Azula's still in tidy, neat boxes.

A week later, her brother visited.

Katara had been watching Stranger Things on her laptop when there was a knock on the door. Azula looked at Katara, eyebrows raised but made no motion to answer it. Katara sighed, unlocking it to find a boy in the halls. And, Katara could only think a single thing. Two things, actually.

Firstly, damn he's attractive and secondly, he must be mistaken to be at our door.

"Uhhh…" Katara opened her mouth, shaking away her thoughts, although she was sure she was blushing widely.

"Azula there?" He asked, craning his neck around. Katara stuttered, about to say something like 'I didn't know Azula was dating someone', but was glad her tongue-tied state saved her from beginning that statement.

"Ugg, go away, Zuko." The way Azula addressed him was definitely reminiscent of the way Katara talked to her brother. And, there was a family resemblance.

"Dad sent me to check up on you. Wow, this place is cramped," Zuko said, stepping in past Katara. Katara spied a bra thrown lazily over her beanbag and practically leaped on top of it to hide it.

"I'm Katara." She said, trying to seem casual and natural in her chair. Zuko looked at her. His eyes flickered and he gave a small smile, something really sexy and Katara was pretty glad she was sitting because it made her knees feel weak.

"Sorry, hi. I'm Azula's brother."

"Who is leaving." Azula got up, practically shoving him out the door, "Tell dad to rescue me from this hell hole ASAP if you want to help."

"Azula, be nice," Zuko snapped, "The world isn't ending."

"Oh, you haven't seen the bathrooms yet," Azula shuddered, "Just, urg, be useful for once." Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily.

"You want to go get dinner?" He asked, "This is making me hungry."

"No," Azula dismissed him harshly, "Go home if you're not going to help me out of this mess or fire the idiot that messed up my application."

Zuko snapped his jaw, "Maybe I wasn't talking to you?" He said although Katara was pretty sure he had been.

"Who were you talking to then? Katara?" Azula snorted.

"Yeah," Zuko said, "Yeah, I was."

"She doesn't want to go and get food with you," Azula said.

"Uhh, well, I'm a little hungry," Katara said. Frankly, she wanted this fight to end.

Azula turned to Katara, biting the inside of her cheek, "Hmm. Whatever." She finally decided after scrutinizing Katara for a long moment, "He has a girlfriend you know."
"What? I was just-I'm not-,"

"I didn't mean it like a date, and I'm sure she didn't think that," Zuko cut in smoothly, "I'm just trying to be a nice person because I know you sure as hell aren't."
"Yeah, not a date," Katara agreed. She was still pretty sure Sokka wouldn't like it, and that made her want to do it more.

"If it gets you out of my hair, whatever," Azula said. Katara couldn't be sure if she was talking to her or to Zuko. Probably both.

Zuko took Katara to one of the three restaurants they had on campus; a sushi place. It was middling in price- a place Katara would agree to go to with a friend, but wouldn't have paid for if she was alone. It was also a popular college haunt, which made it decidedly non-romantic.

"Thanks for going along with that. Zula can be a real piece of work." Zuko told Katara, insisting that he pay for her. Katara's protests were meager, considering she didn't have a job on campus yet and she was here entirely on scholarship.

"It's a small place. When people get angry, it gets warm really fast." She pointed out, "Besides, you don't seem half bad."

"You mean I don't seem like her at all?" Zuko interpreted. Katara held her tongue, but smiled apologetically, "It's true. She's...well, something. She's my sister, so I'm obligated to look out for her and all, but we don't get along all that great." Zuko pushed around some of his rice with his chopsticks, "I was hoping college would change that."

She sensed his mood darkening, sinking quickly. As though he was already going to give up. Katara wouldn't have given up on her brother, but her brother was a little more forthcoming than Azula seemed.

"Well," Katara blinked, "We're friends now." Zuko looked up at her, half-amused and half-surprised, "So, that means if you come to the dorms, it's to see me. If Azula ends up having to stick it out with me, chances are you'll see her too." She said with a small smile, folding her hands in front of her. Zuko looked grateful, though he didn't explicitly say it. But, she knew. It was what Katara did; fixer of the broken, helper of the downtrodden. Sokka often said that in an acerbic tone, but today, Katara felt proud of it.

Azula wasn't moved. Katara wouldn't eve be sure if her father owned the campus or not, but Zuko came up with a whole host of reasons that she was stuck there. So she unpacked, muttering cuss words and sending murderous looking glares at the white concrete walls.

And Zuko started coming around; they'd rope Azula into staying to watch a movie with them, and when Azula wasn't paying attention to herself, Katara would see her smiling ever so slightly. Sometimes Zuko's girlfriend came along, sometimes it was other girls in their dorm block, but Zuko was always a constant.

Katara got used to having him around. She would hold her feelings for him at the surface, just there enough that she could convince herself that it was a harmless crush because Katara wasn't a homewrecker, but she kept it close to her because people did stupid things when they had a crush on someone. Besides, in the early months, she'd tried to squish her feelings, but it just made her a little miserable. So, the feelings stayed, but she told herself Zuko would never be allowed to know.

As the months bleed into spring, there was a discussion buzzing around the dorms about what to do next semester. Some girls opted to stay in the dorms so they could room with friends, others threw around the idea of moving off campus to an apartment. Katara wouldn't call herself best friends with Azula (not nearly as close as she was with her brother) but she would call her someone she had learned to enjoy, in the sort of way she liked hot peppers but wouldn't eat a whole handful of them.
She also couldn't be sure of Azula's feelings for her. Azula, who had stopped being mean to her but didn't go out of her way to be nice. But, maybe that was nice to Azula.

Therefore, when Azula asked if Katara wanted to move into her brother's house with her next semester, Katara nearly choked.

"Father won't get me my own place, and Zuko's is big enough. Plus, ever since he and Mai broke up, the house has a lot of extra space and you both know if Zuko and I are forced to live together we'll sooner kill each other than anything else."

"Mai and Zuko broke up?" Katara felt like she'd been kicked again, being blindsided twice in a short span of time.

"Tragically," Azula sighed, "So, you in?"

Katara waffled. Some other girls had extended an invitation to her a while ago, but Katara wasn't sure if it still stood. She'd seen Zuko's apartment before; it was stunning and large and a nicer place than she'd ever lived before. It wasn't even an apartment, it was closer to a freaking house. But it was an apartment; it was a penthouse.

"You'd be living with Zuko, every day…" Azula pointed out and Katara nearly said something along the lines of their Sunday Night Movie would be easier until she saw the gleam in Azula's eyes.

"I don't know what you're implying," Katara said, but her blush probably gave her away.

"Katara, I'm only going to extend this invitation once, so take it or leave it," Azula regained her usually snappy self, putting on her shoes to go out and take one of her exams, "But just know...this invitation comes from both me and Zuko. I like you. Don't be an imbecile."

Then, Katara was alone in their half-boxed up dorm room. If she didn't know Azula any better, she'd say that she cared.

Katara's fingers texted a message of Zuko before she was really aware of what was happening.

-I hear we're living together next year, roomie.

Zuko's reply was instantaneous.

-I look forward to it :)

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If you like this, check out my very long Zutara fic, 'The Prince's Choice'. If you leave ten (actual) reviews, you can request another chapter of this and specify a prompt or theme, or request any other drabble your little hearts desires.