concoursec | log; closed

Entry tags:

log; closed

Character(s): Katara, Zuko
Location: A hallway, eventually moving to somewhere more private to talk
Rating: PG-13
Open/Closed/Finished: Closed
Summary: Backdated to March 2nd; Aang asked Katara to the dance, Katara accepted, Aang bragged to his best buddy, Zuko, about how he had a date for the dance. Stuff happened between Katara and Aang. Zuko and Katara take to avoiding one another like the plague; insert confused, conflicted feelings; and now it's two and a half weeks later...

With two textbooks under his arm and his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants, Zuko unhurriedly made his way for the boys’ dormitory. Classes were now over for the day, and thankfully so. He didn’t think he could handle anymore today, having to see her there a few seats off from him. It was a good thing they didn’t have any more group projects to do together, that would have just made things even more awkward than they had already been since the Valentine’s Day dance two and half weeks back. Just thinking about it still had the firebender sulking and not in the best of moods; it still grated on his nerves that Katara had accepted Aang’s offer for the dance, but why should it?

As far as Zuko was concerned, she and the Avatar were friends. Good friends. Too close for his liking anyways. But it was more than that, as she had been the one to find the Avatar in the iceberg in the South Pole, and they had traveled around the world together with her brother, Sokka, to help with the boy’s quest. So it made more sense that she would willingly go with him and have fun, didn’t it?

Augh.

If only he had thought of asking her himself, of beating Aang to the punch sooner.

What in Agni’s name was wrong with him?

This was so frustrating! So confusing! Why wasn’t Uncle around to help give him advice? Because he didn’t want to betray his friend, Zuko was just betraying his feelings in the end and lying to himself. And for what?

This was so stupid!

Aang had seemed so happy that lunch hour when he’d gone to tell Zuko of the good news, that Katara was going to go with him to the dance. He had been so happy that it had served to put Zuko in the worst mood possible for the remainder of that day, and then the days and weeks to follow after that. Zuko had kept to himself most of the time shortly after that, regretting the gifts he’d sent out to Katara unsigned at Toph’s insistence.

Had she even received them? Did she know they were from him? No, impossible.

Did she even care?

It bothered him that every time their eyes did catch, they were averted immediately after. And her smile— Zuko had begun to notice it missing. She never smiled at him anymore, and when he did catch her smiling at others, it never reached her eyes. Almost as if her smile was for show.

Zuko turned to enter the hallway, his thoughts heavily distracted and his brows deeply knit. His lips were pressed in a thin, hard line, funny because that was how he wore his expression whenever his mind wandered back to Valentine’s Day. He tried to think of the cats and how big they’d gotten since he’d adopted them into his dorm. They were now eating solid food so there was no need for him to have to rely on Katara all the time for the milk, thank the Spirits, but it did mean having to go into town to discreetly purchase some cat food every two weeks. Which wasn’t too bad considering it was probably better for Zuko to get out of Garden now and then.

Each time he returned to his empty room, he would pause in front of the door and stare down at the floor. Zuko remembered, every time, the basket that had sat there with his name on it waiting for his return, for him to take it inside. A pleasant surprise it had been, however, it had been left unsigned. He hadn’t touched the package since; suspicious about the small, stuffed little otter-penguins cuddling each other that looked to have been sewn. Next to it, a box of something that he assumed was chocolate given the holiday...

Having received enough for Valentine’s Day, Zuko didn’t want to have to open any more packages. He really doubted he was going to eat all the candies and chocolates he’d gotten, not the sort of guy to possess a sweet tooth unless it was for ash bananas.

But those otter-penguins— Zuko was only aware of hybrid animals from his world. And he really doubted Aang of all people was going to sew him some stuffed little plushies. The same went for Toph given she was blind. And so … that left only Katara, but that didn’t make any sense!!

To this day he wondered who could have thought to leave him something at his dorm, the gesture more personal to him than having a cadet deliver it to him while he was in the middle of a course. But Zuko had left the gift untouched to sit on the common area table of his dorm near the chicobo nest of clothing.

Ah well.

Almost there, almost reaching the hallway dividing the boys’ and girls’ dormitories.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Having been released early from her last class, Katara had already returned to her dorm for some time. Deciding that perhaps a work out would be beneficial, she had changed into her swimsuit and pulled on a pair of shorts and a hoodie, and with her keycard in her pocket she exited her dorm.

Yes, swimming seemed like a good idea-- a thoughtless activity that would help take her mind off of things. Ever since the Valentine's Day dance, it seemed like all she ever did as think. Everything that happened from going to the dance with Aang then the sudden kiss that had ended the night had her feeling oddly guilty, and for some reason her thoughts would always stray to Zuko. But why did she have to feel guilty about a kiss that had nothing to do with him?

She felt guilty for other things, of course-- for getting Aang's hopes up with agreeing to attending the dance with him. In all honesty, she had thought he had asked because of their friendship and not because of any deeper feelings; they had danced before back in their world, and it was an activity that the both of them enjoyed. But it was obvious that he had hoped for something more than that, maybe envisioned a deeper meaning to her agreement to going to the dance with him... and she didn't want to hurt Aang. He was one of her closest friends, but she didn't exactly return such feelings that he harbored for her. Thinking back now, she wondered if it had been obvious all this time-- she had always thought the acts of kindness he had done for her throughout their journey was just a sign of friendship. It made her feel worse and worse that she didn't feel the same way to her, and it also frustrated her that whenever she tried to see if she did feel anything for the airbender, her thoughts always conjured up the image of a firebender instead.

So lost in her thoughts that Katara wasn't paying much attention to where she was walking, her body seemingly on auto-pilot down the familiar path out from the dormitory wing and towards the pool. But her carelessness had her bumping her shoulder roughly against a larger figure, and stumbling momentarily from the impact she looked up to offer an apology... only to gawk at who she had bumped into.

It was just her luck-- the one person she had somehow managed to successfully avoid during all the various classes they shared, and now she had to bump into him outside of their courses.

Although she’d been nearly right in front of Zuko, he, too, had been so lost in thought that he had missed the approaching figure, not noticing it until physically knocking shoulders with whoever it was. Irritation flared, a snappy remark at the ready, but it died on his tongue as soon as he looked down at who it was. He blinked after the initial jolt and stared in mute silence, topaz eyes locking with the blue ones that stared up at him. Great…

Cue awkwardness.

“…You should really watch where you’re going.”

Awkwardness, what awkwardness?

It was more like cue the jerk mode to cover up the fumbling awkwardness wanting to come out instead.

"Sorry, I was just..." Yeah, she didn't really have a good excuse. Not even bothering to try and make up something to try and save face, she glanced over him to make sure he was alright, thought she hardly doubted that her smaller frame could have done much damage to his larger body. Seeing that the books he held were still in tact and not spilled over the floor was enough of a reassurance for her.

She glanced over his shoulder then back up to him, before scrambling through her mind for some polite way to excuse herself from the encounter. "Well, since you're alright, I've got something to do, so..."

Katara tried side stepping around him then, eager to leave the situation.

Edited 2011-03-20 05:19 (UTC)

This had to be the first time they were alone and speaking to one another in the past month or two, and now she was just … leaving and walking away? Trying to get away from the prospect of talking was more like it. Zuko didn’t like it, not one bit. Weren’t they done avoiding each other? They had to stop this game eventually and actually sit down and talk because it was frustrating him to no end. He was even frustrating himself with the lengths he’d gone to in trying to evade her all this time.

“Katara,” he spoke her name quietly but firmly, side stepping in front of her to block her path.

Edited 2011-03-20 05:36 (UTC)

She had really hoped that Zuko would take the hint that she wasn't really up to talking to him now, but apparently he seemed rather determined to prevent her from slipping away easily. Tilting her head back to look at him, she tried to fake a look of mild interest rather than the odd nervousness that was fluttering in her stomach.

"Hm?" A less than intelligent reply, but she couldn't think of anything else to say.

Zuko was determined. And he was stubborn.

That look threw him off, but he forced himself to continue standing in front of her, his mind going back to his talk with Aang that day, the dance, the day of the dance and then Valentine’s day and their classes together, he and Katara—

“We should— we should probably talk…”

This didn't sound good at all. But it's not as thought Zuko had known that she had gone to the dance with Aang, right? Or what had happened afterward? After all, she had noticed that Zuko hadn't attended the dance, not that she hard particularly looked for him or anything when they had arrived to the ballroom.

Nonetheless she feigned innocence, eyes wide though the small smile she tried to give him was more than apprehensive. "About what?"

The firebender threw a look around the hallway. Although it was empty because of the dinner rush, Zuko knew it would fill up soon enough, and then they wouldn’t be able to talk or have any privacy.

Zuko brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck, shifting his weight uncomfortably as he stood there in front of her with her bright blue eyes staring up at him. How should he ask her? How should he even bring it up in the first place? “Here might not be the best place.” He finally decided to look her over and take in her clothing, the hoodie first and then those shorts that did little to not show off her legs.

Mentally slapping himself back on topic and swallowing heavily, Zuko wordlessly gestured to the hallway that would take them to the boy’s side, waiting to see if she’d take it— the chance to talk whatever was going on between them out (the tension, avoidance, confusion, weirdness).

Katara was sure that her nervousness was beyond obvious with the way she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, restlessness written all over her. His suggestion to go someplace more private to talk had an odd sensation flipping in the pit of her stomach-- out of worry or eagerness, she wasn't quite sure nor did she want to figure out the definite answer.

Nonetheless, instead of declining his suggestion to talk, Katara merely gave a small, half-hearted shrug. "Alright."

If anything, it'd be nice to see the kittens again. She'd wondered if he had even received the present she'd left at his door, a basket filled with tiny otter-penguin stuffed animals she had made by hand for each of the kittens as well as a box of chocolate truffles she had made for Zuko.

She wasn’t the only one feeling nervous and restless; Zuko had been feeling restless twelve hours after Aang had told him about the date during lunch, and then even more so after he knew the dance had begun the following Saturday night. To try and ease his mind off of the weirdness in his stomach that entire night, Zuko had gone to the Training Center to fight the Grats and avoid another run in with the T-Rexaur only to end up in the Secret Area for a better part of the night, his mind overrun with possibilities and situations conjured up by the jealousy.

When Katara agreed to follow him back to his room, that was a surprise in itself. Zuko had seriously half expected her to refuse outright and continue on to wherever she was going off to. He seemed to pause momentarily, surprised, but then nodded, accepting that she was going to talk to him after all.

Quietly and without a word, he began to lead the way back to his dorm where the cats waited and … would be happy to finally see her again after nearly a month had gone by since her last visit.

And so silently she followed him, her hands absently wringing the sleeves of her hoodie that was all too large for her. It wasn't as though she really needed to be led by Zuko back to his room-- she knew the route well enough, having use to visit his room every day to help feed the kittens. It felt a little strange, though, going down the familiar path for the first time in weeks; the kittens had graduated to solid foods just a week or two before the events of Valentine's Day, when they had agreed that Katara no longer needed to bring them milk for food. Had it really been that long?

She kept her pace several steps behind him, not wanting to walk too close yet keeping their distance close enough so it didn't seem as though she was trying to avoid him altogether.

Edited 2011-03-21 07:42 (UTC)

Zuko glanced back just once to make sure she was actually still following and hadn’t run off and left him to walk the rest of the way to his room on his own. Once at the door he swiped his card key through the slot to unlock it, the door sliding open automatically. He stepped in and the chicobo was the first to greet him, hopping down onto the chair from the nest to the floor, half hopping and half flying over to where he was.

The movement of fluttering yellow miniature wings caught some of the cat’s attentions, drawing them over to the door just in time for when Katara would follow and enter after him.

“Don’t everyone crowd at once,” Zuko mumbled as all five of the cats appeared, some stretching and arching their backs from catnaps, others already walking figure eights around his ankles and rubbing up against his calves.

A glance over to their dish showed why— they were running on empty.

But Katara, upon seeing the kittens-- no, cats-- immediately dropped down to the ground on a knee with open arms, welcoming the little creatures to crowd around her all they wanted. It surprised her how much she had missed them, and the moment Boots and the others caught sight of the waterbender little chirpy noises of happiness emitted from the cats as they scurried towards her, momentarily forgetting their hunger.

"Did you guys miss me?" Katara cooed, reaching out to scratch the back of the ear of the closest cats, the action earning her delightful purrs. She couldn't help her own giggle of happiness as the response she received, her own nervousness of the situation with Zuko taking a backseat as she took a moment to enjoy the company of the pets she had helped raise since he first discovered them so many months ago.

While she was busying herself with getting reacquainted with the furry little creatures making the oddest little sounds of utter joy at seeing her, Zuko went to put his books away and refill their dishes with fresh food and water. The basket of goods he had received on Valentine's Day sat off to the side on the common table. Zuko had wondered in the past about the possibility of a roommate and what he would do with the cats once that day came, but for now he had the two-room dorm to himself and shared with only the cats and the chicobo.

His dorm had somehow turned into an animal shelter, although he and Katara used to take turns caring for the chicobo every two weeks.

The sound of the food on the dish caught the attention of some of the cats who broke away from Katara immediately to hurry for first place around the bowl to eat. On his way back to where Katara was crouched down, Zuko made sure to refill the chicobo’s bowl as well with the greens, going over to where the chicobo sat at Katara’s side, nudging her leg affectionately with its head, picking the little bird up to carry it back to its nest for its dinner.

“You can see her once you’re done eating.”

With the absence of the kittens to devote her attention to, the circumstances to her visit to Zuko's dorm room came crashing back down on her, the previous nervousness which had momentarily lapsed now returning in full force. She stood up from her previous crouching position in the ground and to occupy herself from addressing Zuko first, her eyes roamed the familiar common room-- it was then that she caught sight of the basket, seemingly untouched and still wrapped with the cellophane.

Her brow twitched. She had gone through a lot of work to make those otter-penguin dolls for the kittens, as well as the truffles which had all been made by hand. And he hadn't even bothered to at least open the package?

She walked over to where it sat on the common table, fingers brushing the transparent wrapping which crinkled beneath her touch. "It's a little past Valentine's Day, don't you think?"

Zuko looked up from where he was crouched down at the dishes at her words and the cellophane crinkling, pausing in closing the bag of food. He first looked at the basket and then shifted his gaze to where she stood next to it. Oh... "Ah..." He fell quiet and nodded, standing to put the cat food away.

"Uh- yeah," the firebender answered moments later, rubbing at the back of his neck. He looked away. "I didn't want to open it."

And glanced back over at her from the corner of his good eye to catch a reaction; Zuko was pretty sure neither Toph or Aang had made the otter-penguins, so really ... that left the waterbender.

Katara remained quiet for several moments after, eyes simply staring down at the basket which she had so carefully arranged the night before the holiday. She hadn't left a card or anything signing her name, especially not after what had happened at the Valentine's Day dance-- so when she had so carefully tried to remain anonymous as the sender of the gift, why was she about to reveal to him in person that she was, in fact, the person who had so diligently prepared the gift for him?

Well, honestly she figured that the otter-penguins would have been a dead giveaway.

Her fingers brushed the handle of the basket through the plastic wrap, and the corners of her lips turned down into a small frown, her voice a touch haughty and maybe even accusatory with the words that followed. "It took a lot of time to make those otter-penguins, you know. The least you could have done was give them to the kittens."

Aha! So she had been the one to arrange the basket for him, or well ... the cats?

Zuko felt his face heat up but he squashed down the blush and went to the table to pull the basket to him, plastic crinkling loudly as he worked to unwrap it in front of her. The otter-penguins were... cute, for lack of a better word. Zuko didn't know, he didn't do 'cute'. But they were soft beneath his fingers as he picked them up, just right for the animals. "They're... nice?" he offered awkwardly, the heat returning to his face one that was more guilt than embarrassment.

"And this?" Zuko picked up the box. "Theirs, too?" He opened the lid and stared down at the chocolate truffles laid neatly within.

Oh...

Well crap.

Rather stupidly, "Uh- what's this?"

Katara could feel the heat emanating from her cheeks at the blush that suddenly blossomed when he opened the box of truffles, the action completely unexpected-- she hadn't wanted him to actually open the box when she was there! Embarrassment and awkwardness flooded her, and in an attempt to try and mask it Katara instead adopted an expression of mild annoyance.

"They're chocolates, what else?" With a huff, she crossed her arms. "They're probably bad now since they've been sitting out for so long."

Who the hell cared if they had gone bad-- Zuko would still eat them! He would honest to God suffer an upset stomach ... probably... maybe--

Chocolates. Katara got him chocolates. Katara the peasant girl from the Water Tribe ... got him chocolates...

Zuko stood there in a dead silence, golden eyes rooted down on the dark brown shapes piled together. He found it somewhat hard to talk, hard to swallow, his mouth felt that dry but he forced himself to. "Th..." Heavy swallow, eyes still transfixed on the truffles. "Thank you..."

He didn't think guys got weird flutters in their chests like girls did, however, Zuko did recognize the uncomfortable flutter in his stomach. The butterflies - as weird as they were - they were back and flitting through his system, not at all helping the sudden case of nerves he was currently experiencing.

"Di-did you... ah--" The firebender wasn't sure what to do with the box in his hands, he only knew that he didn't want to let it go now that it was hitting him that she had seriously gotten him chocolates.

He was fumbling horribly with his words. It was embarrassing. Why was he acting like this? Zuko didn't understand.

The question came out without him realizing it: "Did you get your candy...?"

Tawny-gold eyes darted up to catch hers.

Edited 2011-03-24 11:47 (UTC)

The awkwardness was so thick in the air, you could cut it with a knife.

His thanks was waved off with a small shrug, but it was the question that he stuttered over afterward which caused her cheeks to deepen several more shades of red. She remained silent for several moments, simply staring at the firebender with a strange expression of both embarrassment and shock before she finally managed to sputter, "It-- that was you?"

Of course she had received them-- when she walked into class, she had automatically assumed that it had been Aang who'd sent them. But she received had his presents later that day, which then lead her to the conclusion that it was Toph who had sent her the candy and taken to vehemently denying such an uncharacteristic act of kindness.

Finally, Katara nodded, shifting her weight between her feet awkwardness before giving a more verbal reply. "Uhm, yeah... I got them. Thanks..."

The flush on her face was nice, he thought, adding to her complexion and bringing out her already bright blue eyes.

"Ye-yeah... uh, Toph kind of put me up to it," Zuko mumbled without thinking, and then held out the box in offering. "...Chocolate?"

But Katara crinkled her nose at the offer, shaking her head before peering into the box herself. "I really don't think you should eat them-- it's been a couple of weeks so I think they've gone bad by now. You'll probably get a stomach ache. But, I mean--" Katara fumbled with her words slightly, and she was positive that she was as red as a fire lily now. "I can just make you another batch, if you want."

Okay, back it up--

Katara, the peasant girl from the Southern Water Tribe MADE him these chocolates?! And on top of that she SEWED something for the cats? What else could she do that Zuko didn't know about!?

Zuko gaped at her, eyes wide. Did she just seriously offer to make him more? Why was her face so red, she really did look like a fire lily now! Although he probably didn't look any better himself with how hot his face felt. Still-- Zuko couldn't stop staring at her.

His mouth opened, closed, opened again. He was floundering for the right words, for something to say to that. Instead Zuko reached into the box for a truffle and popped it into his mouth, chewing it. What was she talking about-- it tasted fine! And he made an 'mmmm' sound to prove it, probably a really ... really awkward sound at that.

Katara stood there, her lips parted and brows lifted into an expression of bewildered surprise. Did he really just... did he really just eat one of them!

Once the shock wore off, though, Katara placed her hands on her hips as her brows drew together into a disapproving look. "I just told you not to eat them! I'm not dragging you to the infirmary if you end up getting a stomach ache since I already warned you that they're probably bad."

But there was still a rosy tint to her cheeks, and beneath her disapproval was a rather pleased feeling at his response to her chocolates. Even if he did sound a little awkward... it was rather endearing.

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I forgive your typos ♥

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