Zutara Week 2020

Day 1 Reunion

Letters

Katara,

Suki and Toph are driving me insane. Please come save me.

Zuko

.~.~.~.

Zuko,

Say no more.

Katara

.~.~.~.

Katara,

Why would you send your idiot brother here. You made things worse.

I guess it's nice to see him though.

Zuko

.~.~.~.

Zuko,

You're welcome. You know what they say, three's a crowd but four's a party. You need to relax every now and then, Your Honor.

Katara

.~.~.~.

Katara,

Sometimes I really don't like you.

Zuko

.~.~.~.

Zuko,

Now we both know that's not true.

Katara

.~.~.~.

Katara,

Maybe.

I do really miss you. Come visit soon. It's been too long.

Zuko

.~.~.~.

Zuko,

I miss you, too. I'll try. With the school, hospital, council, and being the Southern ambassador, I don't have a whole lot of vacation time.

Katara

.~.~.~.

Katara,

And who is the one that needs to relax every now and then? You're doing a lot. Take a break.

Zuko

.~.~.~.

On and on it went, for months. Exchanging letters, promising to visit soon. Awaiting reunion.

It's not that Katara didn't want to see him. Quite the opposite really, she was scared of how much she yearned to see him and be by his side. She was… getting feelings... (okay so she totally wanted to marry him so sue her). She didn't want to make things weird between them. It was awkward enough with Aang after they didn't work out. She shouldn't try to date the other boy in their group of best friends (besides her brother obviously), it would just make things more awkward!

It's not like he'd feel the same anyways, right?

Sometimes she wondered.

~~~xoxo~~~

Zuko sighed heavily as he placed the last scroll of the day in the finished pile. It was well into the evening; he had worked through dinner again. As the years went by he did notice it wasn't as hectic as it was when he first accepted the throne. It was still a lot of work though.

You need someone to share the load with.

Zuko thumped his head on his desk. His advisors had been barking that sentence at him more and more often over the last year as he remained a single bachelor. Advisor Huan had even tried to convince him to have a sort of pageant to pick a bride.

Not only did they all get a brisk hell no to that idea, but little did they know his heart was already taken by another. Zuko sighed again as he unlocked his bottom drawer and pulled out the latest letter from Katara. For the thousandth time he wondered if he should really pursue her, make her aware of his feelings. Maybe the next time he saw her in person…

Zuko wrote her a quick letter and attached another parchment that had a painting of turtleducks. She liked his paintings, so he sent her one every now and then.

These letters didn't seem to be enough; he just wanted to see her again.

~~~xoxo~~~

Katara smiled softly as she smoothed out the painting and hung it on the wall of her office next to countless others. Zuko mostly painted scenic views and animals, but occasionally she'd get a painting of one or more of their friends.

She hummed as she rolled up her letter and sent it with the messenger hawk. She finished the work on her desk and checked her calendar for the upcoming week.

Wait, that was odd.

She frowned as she double checked...

Empty. Her schedule was empty.

No classes, no healing sessions, no meetings.

She briskly walked down the hall of the tribal government building to her father's office. After knocking softly and entering, she asked, "Dad, do we really have no council meetings next week? My schedule is empty. I want to make sure I'm not forgetting anything."

Hakoda smiled at her. "It's a once in a blue moon occurrence. Take advantage of it. You deserve some time off, Katara."

"Thanks... I think I will." She grinned. "If anyone needs me I'll be in the Fire Nation."

~~~xoxo~~~

Zuko grumbled as he left the throne room. His council was really something else sometimes. If only he could tell Admiral Xu to boil his boots and eat them. Prick.

He briskly walked through the halls, wishing he could shed his Fire Lord robes for some more reasonable clothes. He needed to eat something quick, he had another meeting at 2, and then a debrief with his head advisors, and then a mountain of paperwork before another meeting with-

A swatch of blue caught his eyes and he turned to look at the the gardens with his favorite resting spot. He froze in his tracks.

Katara sat under the willow tree, with a small table beside her as she poured tea.

Zuko stared at her with his mouth hanging open. Was he hallucinating? Did he really want to see her so badly he imagined her?

At that moment she looked up and caught his eyes. She smiled brilliantly at him and stood slowly. He approached her, searching her eyes. She looked... well, beautiful. Obviously.

Katara met him halfway, reaching out for his hands. "Zuko."

"Katara." He swallowed around the lizard-frog in his throat.

They stood there for a moment, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes.

He reached a hand up to cup her face, and his heart stuttered when she leaned into his hand.

"I've missed you." He whispered.

She smiled sadly and held his hand to her face more firmly. "I missed you too."

"You should stay."

Zuko immediately wanted to take back the words and swallow them. She just got here, were they going to have this conversation now? Chase her off before they properly say hello?

Katara's eyes widened at his statement and she flushed. She licked her lips, which drew his attention to them. "What... what are you saying, Zuko?" She asked it hesitantly, but her eyes held a challenge. Would he say it? Would he take the plunge?

He cleared his throat, ignoring the blush on his cheeks and his desire to look away from her eyes as he admitted what he'd been longing to say for so long.

"Katara, I want you to stay with me. I... have feelings for you. Strong ones. And I think that maybe you reciprocate those feelings... And... well, what I'm trying to say is that I love you, and I want to be with you, and-"

He was cut off by the pair of lips he had been staring at a moment ago. Did his heart just stop beating?

Before he could really respond (with much gusto), she pulled away, flattening her hand over his tunic that she had wrapped in her fist.

"I've been waiting for you to say that, I thought maybe it was just me..." Katara rested her forehead on his shoulder. He wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

"I've been in love with you for a long time. Probably even longer than I realize." Zuko admitted.

Katara grinned. "I think I fell in love with you when you took that lightning strike for me all those years ago."

They both chuckled and rested their foreheads together, simply holding each other after being separate- physically and emotionally- for so long. It was a sweet reunion of understanding each other fully.

"We've been tiptoeing around each other, I guess. Will you stay?" Zuko asked.

"Of course, Zuko. We can work this out. I want to stay with you." Katara pecked his lips again.

This time he chased her and caught her lips for a proper kiss.

He could get used to this.

~~~xoxo~~~

Extra:

Advisor Huan marched up with a stoic face. "Finally, Your Majesty. Here's that betrothal necklace you made months ago, I'll start organizing the wedding ceremony."

Zuko flushed redder than the robes he was wearing. How did he even find that necklace?! "Huan, go away right now or you're fired."

Katara just laughed and pulled him to the pond to have tea.

~~~xoxo~~~

Hello friends I am alive. I know I don't write as often anymore. From the bottom of my heart, my bad. So anyway here's a new thing: Zutara! I haven't wrote them before so should be fun. I'll attempt to do one prompt a day, though I'm already behind so we'll see.

Let me know what you guys think!

-Joy