The Combustion Club

Chapter 1 - In the Dark Alleyway

Zuko felt like he was long due a break.

Normally bartending wasn't so bad, but that night they were hosting a hen's party. The maid of honour kept trying to slip him a gold coin to give the bride a 'little sugar' on her last night as a single lady.

Zuko could badly use a gold coin, but he didn't think it was worth the potential Agni Kai challenge from the bride's groom. Nor was it very honourable to sell kisses to nearly married women.

As it was, the bride kept trying to feel him up so maybe he'd have to fight that Agni Kai anyway.

When Zuko was finally able to step outside, the cool night air was a welcome change.

His head was still buzzing from the constant blare of the music and his throat was sore from having to yell to be heard above the music.

He walked a little ways down the street and into a narrow alley. He leaned against a brick building, relishing in the cool feel of the concrete against his back. This was the spot he always went to during his breaks. He was far away enough that the low rumble of the bass was replaced with car horns, and the faint buzz of people inside watching their TV's.

He could hear what sounded like a couple arguing inside the apartment above his head.

He only had two cigarettes left. Pity pay day wasn't for another three nights; he'd have to make do. Zuko tossed up in his head the idea of smoking both right now or saving them for later.

In the end he decided to smoke one of them. He was supposed to be quitting anyway.

Zuko lit the cigarette with a small flame in the palm of his hand and inhaled deeply, blowing the smoke out of his nose.

A bit further into the alleyway a door banged open and slammed shut, followed by quick footsteps. It was a young girl, and she was crying. She caught sight of him leaning against the wall and hurriedly tried to wipe her face.

"You know, those are terrible for you." her voice only wavered a little.

Zuko took a very long, deliberate, drag, bending the tiny embers at the end of his cigarette to burn faster, until all that was left was the butt.

He let it drop from his fingers, and gave the embers just enough a juice that there was a small burst of flame, and then only ash.

"You're a firebender?"she squeaked. Zuko flicked a glance at her. She was wearing a ratty blue sweater that was far too large for her with the hood up, a worn pair of jeans, and some very beat up old boots. All in all, she was a tragic-looking little thing.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you." Said Zuko with a dismissive wave of his hand before crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm not scared of you," she replied completely seriously. She stepped forward into the light that the streetlamp cast and Zuko could finally see her face properly. Her eyes were a dark shade of blue and a bit puffy and red-rimmed from crying. Her skin was the colour of coffee with a generous dash of milk. She looked young, younger than him, and the expression on her face was a challenge.

"I was just surprized." She said.

"Surprized that I'm a firebender?"

"Yeah. You don't look like a firebender in that get up." She said gesturing to his uniform.

"Maybe I like orange." Retorted Zuko. He didn't. He hated orange and he hated the stupid Airbender monk outfit they made him wear. He'd drawn the line at the blue arrow headband.

"You hate it don't you?" stated the girl as if she were reading his mind. Zuko just glared at her, and she laughed. Strangely, Zuko found that he didn't really mind her laughing at him.

It was different from the way his sister used to do it.

"You work at the bar around the corner right? The Flying Sky Lemur Bar?" asked the girl, snapping him out of his train of thought.

"Bison."

"Huh?"

"It's 'The Flying Sky Bison Bar.'"

"Oh right. What's it like?" Zuko raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why do you care?"

"I was just wondering…"

"Are you even old enough to be allowed in a bar?"

"I will be in a few weeks!"

Sweet agni that meant she was seventeen. Zuko mentally shook himself, he was standing in an alleyway chatting to a seventeen-year-old girl.

"You should stay away from me." He said gruffly.

The girl looked like she was about to argue, but Zuko turned on his heel and left. He walked straight back to the bar even though he still had a good ten minutes of break left.

A few nights later she was waiting for him in the alley, trying to be inconspicuous and failing terribly.

"I know you're there." He called out, leaning against his spot on the brick wall and pulling out his last cigarette.

She crept closer to him from behind the fire escape. She wearing the same ratty blue sweater, (hood up) worn jeans, and beat up boots.

"You came back?" she said, twisting her hands together nervously.

"I always take my breaks here." Replied Zuko flippantly. Sure, he'd avoided his usual spot for a few days because he didn't want to have to deal with her, but then he decided he was being silly.

Maybe she wouldn't be there, and even is she was, she was just a little girl. Nothing to be scared of.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you a little young to be out this late?"

"No, I live in this building." She replied.

"Won't your parents wonder where you are?"

"No. No one will worry about me." she said shortly.

"Right…" that was awkward. What did she expect him to say?

"What's your name?" she asked. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose wearily.

"Look kid, this isn't a good idea. I'm not the sort of person you should be hanging around. Do yourself a favour and go back inside and forget about me." The girl's eyes flashed dangerously and Zuko knew instantly that he had somehow said the complete wrong thing.

"Why do you keep saying that? Stop telling me what I should do! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself and deciding who I want to hang out with! I am not a child!" she yelled, fists balled at her side. Zuko didn't expect her to have such a fiery temper. He just stared at her in shock for a moment.

"You want to… hang out with me?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes! I think we should be friends!"

"Why?" asked Zuko, genuinely surprized.

"Because my guardians told me to stay away from you!" She said the word 'guardian' like it tasted of something horrible.

Zuko narrowed his eyes and shoved off from the wall to take a step closer to her. Now she would be able to see the other side of his face, and the horrible scar. To her credit she didn't react when she saw it.

"So you want a bad-boy bartender as a friend to… what?" he took a step closer, "To rebel? To show them you're all grown up?" his voice had gone all soft and dangerous.

He wouldn't have this little girl trying to use him as a pawn in whatever teenage display of parental defiance she had planned.

Of course she didn't want to be his friend. She just wanted to use him, like everybody else. Zuko let out a breath. That reasoning made much more sense to him.

"No! That isn't why!" yelled the girl sounding beyond frustrated, "If my guardians told me to stay away from you, it's because you're exactly the sort of person I should hang around." She explained.

"That makes no sense." Said Zuko shaking his head.

"If you knew my guardians then it would!"

Zuko just glared at her suspiciously. She glared back for a moment, then as suddenly as it had come, all the fire drained out of her.

"Never mind this was stupid you probably don't want to be my friend." She mumbled sadly turning away from him.

"Wait a minute!" said Zuko before his brain had really thought through what he was going to do.

She paused and looked back at him with those big sad eyes and Zuko felt all his anger resentment drain away, leaving him just tired. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Zuko."

"What?"

"My name… It's Zuko."

Then she was smiling at him and Zuko realised with a start that she was actually kind of… pretty. It was hard to tell with just a cursory glance because of the ratty clothes and the hood that obscured half her head.

"I'm Katara."

It was only when he was walking back to the bar that Zuko realized she hadn't really noticed his scar at all.

A/N

This hasn't been proof read by anyone but myself so sorry for any typos. I kind of have a plan for where this will go. Let me know if you think I should continue.

Thanks for reading.