(no subject)
OK, so this is for an hour-in-an-hour challenge, and I'm writing it in under an hour.
"Arrrrgh!"
The frustrated roar of a certain prince echoed throughout the woods, scaring many birds off into the trees. "What is your problem?" He demanded.
Katara smirked, pleased with herself for dumping the hot soup all over his head instead of handing it to him. "Now we're even. You ate my dinner last night, it's only fair that I ruin your breakfast." She looked around the clearing, relishing the looks of her peers around her in the camp. Aang and Iroh were quite alarmed and surprised that she would go so far, while Sokka looked on with pride and admiration. Toph simply grinned in her general direction and gave her a thumbs-up.
Picking stray pieces of fish and vegetation out of his hair, Zuko glared at the waterbender. "I ate your dinner," he began slowly, "because you braided my hair again while I was asleep."
Katara raised her eyebrows, not convinced. "I braid your hair a lot while you sleep, and you've never eaten my dinner before."
It was clear that Zuko could not come up with a comeback to this; he had really eaten her dinner because he wanted to get a rise out of her. The fire that sparked in her wide sapphire eyes was like a drug to him. He craved seeing her like that, so full of life. Painfully, he found out that if he went more than a day without seeing her like that he went through withdrawals and got quite crabby. It was much easier just to appease his hunger for her than suffer with peace.
Katara smirked again, that fire glinting in her eyes again. "That's what I thought," was all she said before turning to walk away again. Suddenly, he caught her wrist and spun her around again.
"Just because I chose not to answer does not mean you win this round, peasant," he hissed menacingly.
"Toph decided to interject. "It's really hard to believe you're actually mad at her when you're still holding her hand. Ooh, I can hear the bells now!" She started to hum the wedding march, and Zuko stomped his foot in frustration. It felt like every day was Pick on Zuko Day, and he asked the group as much.
"If you really want to know," Katara started, pulling her hand from his grasp, "then yes. It is. You're just the most fun to pick on. I mean, before you came around, we all picked on Sokka. But ever since...." she sighed. "...well, to put it plainly, I think he's grown up. We can't seem to get a rise out of him. But you, you play right into our hands, and no one even has to get physical."
The prince's fingertips burned like candles. "If you really want to get physical, we can."
Aang nimbly landed between them. "No one is getting 'phyisical' here. We need to focus on conserving energy as much as it is." Almost as if a light bulb had been lit over his head, he smiled and snapped his fingers. "I've got it! Stay put, both of you."
He walked a few steps over to Toph and whispered in her ear. She grinned and replied back. Zuko and Katara exchanged looks. The younger pair kept whispering and stealing glances at the elder, and finally, Toph and Aang walked back, both looking positively smug. "Here's the deal," Toph said bluntly, "you two can't get along wherever you go, and we can't stand it anymore." She stamped her foot and a earthen tent enveloped the group.
"What are you doing?" Katara cried. Everyone knew that although she was meant to 'rise with the moon,' she was still petrified of the dark. Too many bad things had happened at night for her to be comfortable where there was no light.
Zuko immediately lit a flame in his hand, bathing everyone in an orange glow. "Can we hear the meaning of this?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Toph turned her milky green eyes toward him, and smiled. "You can't fix your problems on your own time, so you're doing it on ours. You have thirty-five minutes to reconcile, and put your differences behind you."
"But why thirty-five?" Aang asked. He wasn't aware of a time limit, he just wanted them to make up.
"Because," Toph answered patronizingly, "That's when we're leaving. And because I said so."
Aang shrugged and with another stamp of the blind earthbender's foot, him and Toph walked out, closing the 'door' behind them, leaving Zuko and Katara alone.
"So," she started. "What now?"
"I don't know, peasant," he scoffed, "you're the one that got us into this mess."
"I didn't eat your dinner," she shot back. "And why do you insist on calling me that? Would you like it very much if I called you by your title, and not your name?"
"I think I would enjoy it immensely."
"All right then, Ex-Prince. Anything for your enjoyment."
The firebender's face flushed with anger, and the flame in his hand grew slightly as he tried to control his rage. After some time, the flame returned to a flicker, and his face resumed its previous pallor. "Fine, K..." he struggled to get her name out. "...K-kat..Katar... Katara. You win this round."
She folded her arms and smiled. "That wasn't so hard, was it. But I must say, you are losing your touch. Zuko, admitting defeat? Simply unheard of."
He sighed and slid down to a sitting position. "Thanks for your support. Now what?"
"We make up, I suppose." Katara dittoed the firebender's position, and looked directly in his eyes.
Zuko turned away; he couldn't stand her gaze. Her open stare made him feel like she could see into his very soul, and know his every thought. He wasn' t used to such frankness, and it honestly frightened him. How could he tell her that she was the last thing he thought of before falling asleep every night and the first thing he thought of waking up every morning, that her smile made him go weak at the knees so he had to struggle to simply stand if he couldn't even stand her looking at him? Suddenly, he felt ashamed. He felt ashamed that he had acted like such a jerk to someone he cared so much about, and then when confronted about it he didn't know what to say.
With a start, he realized something. The reason for his previous actions was simply jealousy. He had craved her so much, needed her to simply look at him, that every time she showed the care he so desired to their other counterparts, indescribable ire rose up in the pit of his stomach. She mothered the Avatar and her brother, yet he was lucky if she even handed him his dinner. Rarely did he ever catch her just staring at him without anger or pity, and that's what he wanted most. Unconsciously, he had resigned himself to whatever attention he could rise out of her, whether it be good or bad. Anything to get those sapphire eyes fixed on his golden ones. He sighed, realizing something else. There was no way that someone as smart and beautiful and kind as her could ever love someone so hideous and apparently heartless as him. It would never work.
Katara cleared her throat, and Zuko jumped. He had completely forgot about her presence, so absorbed in his own thoughts was he. "Was there something you wanted to say?" Katara asked pointedly.
He sighed again. "If I told you, you wouldn't understand."
"So quick to assume, are you?" Suddenly, she leaned forward and taking Zuko's face in both hands, pecked him quickly on the lips. She rocked back on her heels, a grin forming as the prince recovered from his shock, touching his own lips with his fingers. Slowly, he raised his eyes to hers, seeing an expression on her face that he had never seen directed at him before: happiness.
She grinned. "Try me."
A/N: There is a reason for them only having thirty five minutes to make up. I only had thirty five minutes left to write, and this story had to take place over the course of an hour, in real time and time in the story. I must admit, though, I am quite pleased with it. It's not overly fluffy (I can't seem to write fluff, but that's ok. It makes me gag and is way too OOC for them anyways), and everyone seems in character. Way to tackle my first challenge fic. I'm proud of myself *grin*
"Arrrrgh!"
The frustrated roar of a certain prince echoed throughout the woods, scaring many birds off into the trees. "What is your problem?" He demanded.
Katara smirked, pleased with herself for dumping the hot soup all over his head instead of handing it to him. "Now we're even. You ate my dinner last night, it's only fair that I ruin your breakfast." She looked around the clearing, relishing the looks of her peers around her in the camp. Aang and Iroh were quite alarmed and surprised that she would go so far, while Sokka looked on with pride and admiration. Toph simply grinned in her general direction and gave her a thumbs-up.
Picking stray pieces of fish and vegetation out of his hair, Zuko glared at the waterbender. "I ate your dinner," he began slowly, "because you braided my hair again while I was asleep."
Katara raised her eyebrows, not convinced. "I braid your hair a lot while you sleep, and you've never eaten my dinner before."
It was clear that Zuko could not come up with a comeback to this; he had really eaten her dinner because he wanted to get a rise out of her. The fire that sparked in her wide sapphire eyes was like a drug to him. He craved seeing her like that, so full of life. Painfully, he found out that if he went more than a day without seeing her like that he went through withdrawals and got quite crabby. It was much easier just to appease his hunger for her than suffer with peace.
Katara smirked again, that fire glinting in her eyes again. "That's what I thought," was all she said before turning to walk away again. Suddenly, he caught her wrist and spun her around again.
"Just because I chose not to answer does not mean you win this round, peasant," he hissed menacingly.
"Toph decided to interject. "It's really hard to believe you're actually mad at her when you're still holding her hand. Ooh, I can hear the bells now!" She started to hum the wedding march, and Zuko stomped his foot in frustration. It felt like every day was Pick on Zuko Day, and he asked the group as much.
"If you really want to know," Katara started, pulling her hand from his grasp, "then yes. It is. You're just the most fun to pick on. I mean, before you came around, we all picked on Sokka. But ever since...." she sighed. "...well, to put it plainly, I think he's grown up. We can't seem to get a rise out of him. But you, you play right into our hands, and no one even has to get physical."
The prince's fingertips burned like candles. "If you really want to get physical, we can."
Aang nimbly landed between them. "No one is getting 'phyisical' here. We need to focus on conserving energy as much as it is." Almost as if a light bulb had been lit over his head, he smiled and snapped his fingers. "I've got it! Stay put, both of you."
He walked a few steps over to Toph and whispered in her ear. She grinned and replied back. Zuko and Katara exchanged looks. The younger pair kept whispering and stealing glances at the elder, and finally, Toph and Aang walked back, both looking positively smug. "Here's the deal," Toph said bluntly, "you two can't get along wherever you go, and we can't stand it anymore." She stamped her foot and a earthen tent enveloped the group.
"What are you doing?" Katara cried. Everyone knew that although she was meant to 'rise with the moon,' she was still petrified of the dark. Too many bad things had happened at night for her to be comfortable where there was no light.
Zuko immediately lit a flame in his hand, bathing everyone in an orange glow. "Can we hear the meaning of this?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Toph turned her milky green eyes toward him, and smiled. "You can't fix your problems on your own time, so you're doing it on ours. You have thirty-five minutes to reconcile, and put your differences behind you."
"But why thirty-five?" Aang asked. He wasn't aware of a time limit, he just wanted them to make up.
"Because," Toph answered patronizingly, "That's when we're leaving. And because I said so."
Aang shrugged and with another stamp of the blind earthbender's foot, him and Toph walked out, closing the 'door' behind them, leaving Zuko and Katara alone.
"So," she started. "What now?"
"I don't know, peasant," he scoffed, "you're the one that got us into this mess."
"I didn't eat your dinner," she shot back. "And why do you insist on calling me that? Would you like it very much if I called you by your title, and not your name?"
"I think I would enjoy it immensely."
"All right then, Ex-Prince. Anything for your enjoyment."
The firebender's face flushed with anger, and the flame in his hand grew slightly as he tried to control his rage. After some time, the flame returned to a flicker, and his face resumed its previous pallor. "Fine, K..." he struggled to get her name out. "...K-kat..Katar... Katara. You win this round."
She folded her arms and smiled. "That wasn't so hard, was it. But I must say, you are losing your touch. Zuko, admitting defeat? Simply unheard of."
He sighed and slid down to a sitting position. "Thanks for your support. Now what?"
"We make up, I suppose." Katara dittoed the firebender's position, and looked directly in his eyes.
Zuko turned away; he couldn't stand her gaze. Her open stare made him feel like she could see into his very soul, and know his every thought. He wasn' t used to such frankness, and it honestly frightened him. How could he tell her that she was the last thing he thought of before falling asleep every night and the first thing he thought of waking up every morning, that her smile made him go weak at the knees so he had to struggle to simply stand if he couldn't even stand her looking at him? Suddenly, he felt ashamed. He felt ashamed that he had acted like such a jerk to someone he cared so much about, and then when confronted about it he didn't know what to say.
With a start, he realized something. The reason for his previous actions was simply jealousy. He had craved her so much, needed her to simply look at him, that every time she showed the care he so desired to their other counterparts, indescribable ire rose up in the pit of his stomach. She mothered the Avatar and her brother, yet he was lucky if she even handed him his dinner. Rarely did he ever catch her just staring at him without anger or pity, and that's what he wanted most. Unconsciously, he had resigned himself to whatever attention he could rise out of her, whether it be good or bad. Anything to get those sapphire eyes fixed on his golden ones. He sighed, realizing something else. There was no way that someone as smart and beautiful and kind as her could ever love someone so hideous and apparently heartless as him. It would never work.
Katara cleared her throat, and Zuko jumped. He had completely forgot about her presence, so absorbed in his own thoughts was he. "Was there something you wanted to say?" Katara asked pointedly.
He sighed again. "If I told you, you wouldn't understand."
"So quick to assume, are you?" Suddenly, she leaned forward and taking Zuko's face in both hands, pecked him quickly on the lips. She rocked back on her heels, a grin forming as the prince recovered from his shock, touching his own lips with his fingers. Slowly, he raised his eyes to hers, seeing an expression on her face that he had never seen directed at him before: happiness.
She grinned. "Try me."
A/N: There is a reason for them only having thirty five minutes to make up. I only had thirty five minutes left to write, and this story had to take place over the course of an hour, in real time and time in the story. I must admit, though, I am quite pleased with it. It's not overly fluffy (I can't seem to write fluff, but that's ok. It makes me gag and is way too OOC for them anyways), and everyone seems in character. Way to tackle my first challenge fic. I'm proud of myself *grin*