Butterflies

Gold eyes connected with blue eyes for the first time in over a year as the Gaang met up for their yearly annual get together to see how everyone was. Zuko and Katara smiled at each other as they were sucked into separate conversations. Servants came in bearing trays of food, placing them down on the table in front of everyone, signaling lunch could begin.

Toph and Aang sat together talking animatedly about their separate adventures, Toph about one of her recent victories against an opponent in her fighting business, and Aang about his discoveries of the Air Nomads. Sokka and Suki sat together as they regaled Katara with stories of their two children, Kyan and Song, as Zuko watched on with a soft smile, listening in on their entertaining stories.

Uncle Iroh sat across from Katara, Sokka and Suki next to her, and watched with knowing eyes as he watched Zuko and Katara glance at each other from time to time. He occasionally added his two cents to the different conversations, looking on in delight as Zuko and Katara continued to send each other secret smiles.

“So, Katara, tell me,” Iroh started when he saw a break in conversation, “Do you have any suitors chasing after you?” He took a sip of his tea as he looked on with curious eyes. Zuko’s eyes immediately connected with Katara’s, his eyes holding the most intense gaze Katara had ever seen.

“Um,” Katara blushed, looking away from Zuko and answering, “Well, there have been a few, but I, um, denied their offers.” Katara blushed even more when Sokka made a sputtering noise and gaped at her.

“You had suitors and Dad didn’t tell me?” Sokka asked dramatically. Suki giggled and rolled her eyes while Zuko smirked and shook his head at his ridiculousness. Toph and Aang had turned their attention to the conversation as well now, and were both silently laughing at Sokka’s mumblings of needing to find out who wanted to court Katara and how he should deal with them. Uncle Iroh quietly sipped his tea, smiling to himself as he watched on.

“Dad specifically didn’t tell you for this reason, Sokka,” Katara said dryly.

Sokka gaped at her and the others laughed as he went on whining. “But why? No one deserves my baby sister! Whoever wants my baby sister has to come through me first!”

“Ugh, Sokka, calm down,” Katara rolled her eyes. “I didn’t accept any of the offers. And whoever I end up with will not have to go through you first!”

Sokka pouted and crossed his arms, and Suki rolled her eyes, giving Katara a look. “I don’t know why I married you, Sokka.”

“Because I am amazing, duh.” The whole table busted into fits of laughter after Sokka and his statement and he frowned as they laughed at him. “What? What’s so funny?”

No one answered him as they continued to laugh, and after everyone calmed down, Suki tugged on his arm saying, “Come on, let’s go write a letter to the kids and see how they are doing without us.”

“Okay,” Sokka mumbled with a frown still on his face.

“I don’t know how you survived growing up with him, Sugar Queen,” Toph said earning a laugh from Katara.

“Neither do I,” Katara giggled.

“So why did you turn your suitors down, Katara?” Zuko’s soft voice floated towards Katara and she turned her head to look at him.

She blushed, saying, “Ummm….”

“Yeah, why, Katara?” Aang asked, curiosity laced in his question.

“I have my reasons,” Katara said with a subtle glance towards Zuko. Iroh didn’t miss this glance as he sipped his tea with a smile.

“Care to explain those reasons, Sugar Queen?” Toph asked with a smirk, already knowing Katara’s reasons.

“Now, now, let Katara have some privacy as to why she rejected those poor men,” Iroh intervened with a smile.

“Fine,” Aang and Toph said together glumly.

Katara gave Iroh a grateful glance, him smiling in return, as she mentally wiped her forehead in relief. Aang and Toph quickly went back to their own conversation as Iroh, Zuko and Katara quietly started their own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katara sat thinking on a rock by the pond, absentmindedly feeding the turtleducks, lost in her own thoughts. She was trying to get rid of the butterflies that were still in her stomach from the lunch she had earlier. The cause of her butterflies was Zuko, and just the thought of him made the butterflies beat faster and faster. She blushed as she thought of Iroh’s question and how Zuko had focused his attention on her when she answered Iroh’s question. The wind softly blew through Katara’s hair, rustling the leaves of the tree behind her as well as she focused her thoughts on other matters.

“Why are you alone?” Zuko’s voice startled Katara and she jumped in surprise.

“Oh, Zuko, it’s you,” she breathed, holding a hand over her heart. “You scared me.”

“Sorry,” Zuko grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Its fine,” Katara giggled, ignoring the butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach as she thought about how adorable he was when he was embarrassed.

Zuko sat down on the rock next to her, his arm brushing lightly against hers, sending her heart into a frenzy. “So how’ve you been?” he asked turning his head to look at her.

“Good, I guess,” she answered with a small smile. “How about you?”

“Stressed,” Zuko admitted. “Being Fire Lord isn’t as easy as it seems.”

“I never guessed it would be,” Katara smiled. “But you’re doing a great job.”

Zuko blushed and smiled. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Katara said with a smile.

A comfortable silence settled over the waterbender and firebender as they watched the turtleducks swim in the pond. The soft breeze blew over them, rustling the leaves on the tree behind them, creating a peaceful atmosphere. The sun was slowly starting to set when the silence was broken.

“Katara…” Zuko trailed off, unsure how to word his question.

“Yes?” Katara turned to him, noticing how the golden light of the setting sun made his golden eyes stand out even more.

“Why did you turn down those suitors?” Zuko asked gently, staring into her piercing blue orbs, hoping she would answer him.

Katara sighed softly, gazing into his beautiful golden eyes. “I-I, um, someone else has my heart,” she blushed, breaking her blue orbs away from his golden ones.

“Oh,” Zuko mumbled, defeat and hurt ringing in his tone.

Katara furrowed her eyebrows at his response, confused. Why did he sound so hurt? He couldn’t possibly have the same feelings towards her as she did him, could he? She shook herself from her thoughts and continued on to say something else. “But, um, I don’t know if he even knows he has my heart, or if he feels the same way…” she trailed off, and noticed that Zuko had looked back at her.

“Oh?”

Katara nodded. “And I don’t even think he knows what he does to me…”

“What does he do to you?” Zuko questioned, wanting to know how he could win her heart over.

Katara’s eyes widened, and she blushed, not knowing how to start, and wondering if Zuko would figure out it was him she was talking about. “Well, when he smiles, a genuine smile, my heart melts. He rarely smiles, and when he does, it lights up his whole face. And when it’s aimed at me, I feel like I’m on top of the world. And his eyes, his smoldering eyes. They pierce through me, and every time he looks at me I’m lost in his beautiful eyes. It’s like he’s looking into my soul. And every time he glances at me, or just simply talks to me, I get butterflies.”

Zuko watched on and listened with jealousy as Katara described this man, this person, who was not him. He felt saddened by this thought and forced his eyes to stray to the pond, so that he wouldn’t see the emotion in Katara’s eyes that held so much love for the person he wishes was him.

Katara noticed Zuko look away and stopped talking, wondering what was wrong. She looked at his profile as the wind blew through his hair, and how he had a faraway look in his eyes. Katara decided in that moment that she would tell Zuko that he was the person who held her heart.

“Zuko,” Katara gently placed her hand on his, grabbing his attention away from the birds that had entranced him as he listened on to Katara.

“Hmm?” he said in response, looking back at her. His eyes locked onto hers, and he lost himself in her sapphire eyes.

“You are the one who holds my heart,” she said softly, so quietly that he almost couldn’t hear her.

Zuko’s eyes widened, but a small smile formed on his face. “You, you were talking about me?” Katara nodded and Zuko grinned, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek. He gently rubbed his thumb over her cheek, and Katara sighed in happiness, closing her eyes and she enjoyed his touch.

“You always give me butterflies,” she murmured, her eyes opening, connecting with Zuko’s.

“Good,” Zuko mumbled, bringing his face closer to hers, “because you also give me butterflies.” Bringing his lips to hers, Zuko kissed Katara with everything he had in him, gently stroking her face as he did so.

Fireworks danced behind both of their eyes as they kissed, love and passion all put into that one kiss. Katara tangled her hands in Zuko’s hair as he brought his other arm to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him, their bodies molding into each other, as if they were made for each other.

Iroh watched from afar as the two opposites kissed, smiling to himself in satisfaction. An assortment of blue and red butterflies danced across Iroh's pathway as he quietly left the garden, humming to himself softly. He smiled as he noticed the colors, noting how the colors were of fire and water, and how they were so alike Zuko and Katara.