(Untitled)

[pyromatics]

Character(s): pyromatics & watertides
Location: Zuko's dorm room
Rating: Uh. PG13!
Open/Closed/Finished: Closed/Finished
Summary: After this; Zuko pushed himself too far with swimming and using it as a part of his physical therapy. He nearly drowned, the doofus, but Katara saved him. He takes to his room to rest and passes out with the kittens all around him; Katara

Comments

[pyromatics]

It wasn't until three hours passed by when his eyes opened, automatically drawn to the source of light near the foot of his bed. There was light pooling into the room from his open door, which was a little funny because Zuko had been pretty sure to shut it so the kittens couldn't escape. Had they grown while he slept and opened it themselves? No. No, impossible. He could feel the extra warmth of a furry little body curled under his neck, the rest all curled in against his stomach, Pocket included. Since he was pretty sure that was where they all were, what weighed enough to dip the mattress along the edge--? And he must have turned onto his side in his sleep?

A glance to the bedside facing him revealed a dark-haired form resting at the edge. Near him and breathing deeply and evenly while they slept undisturbed. He froze, unsure what to make of how close she was, his eyes adjusting to the dim lighting in the room to make out her features. Why hadn't he picked up on the light fragrance of pomegranates sooner? There was also a hint of chlorine from the pool but also a fresh soapy smell indicating that she'd showered before coming to his room.

She must have come here after her shift...

Zuko reached up without thinking, a fingertip brushing along the edge of a hair loopie resting against her cheek. He watched her while she slept, taking in what he could see of her expression, the softness of her skin beneath his fingers. A part of him warned that he had bad luck, she was going to end up waking up and catch him, so he reached around her to where his lamp sat and lightly pressed the button. With the way she was positioned the light wouldn't be able to disturb her too much, and it gave him better lighting to see her in.

But she was asleep, there was no way she would know he had taken to admiring her, fingers returning back to the hair loopie and her cheek.

Who knew a waterbender could be pretty?

Zuko's fingers froze at her cheek.

Wait. Pretty? Did he really find her to be pretty?

How could a waterbender be pretty and how could he, a firebender, think such a thing? Sure they had exotic skin tones and bone structure, something the Fire Nation women back home didn't exactly have but...

...What did that mean for him if he found her to be pretty? Or more?

He remembered all the times she came to his room to help him with the kittens since he'd taken them in. The clothing she wore; the shorts with only a hoodie, shorts and a tank top- all that bare leg and slender curves. Zuko was pretty sure she'd worn all of it on purpose just to test him. But it seemed like she wasn't even aware of his attraction towards her (and probably for the better), not when she didn't trust him yet still. Wait WHY and HOW was he even attracted to her to begin with?! She was only helping him with the kittens because he'd asked her to! And they were enemies!

Zuko traced the apple of her cheek then, thumb brushing just along the plump line of her bottom lip.

Sokka would kill him if he found out.

And it was because of that nagging reminder that his hand came away and Zuko settled for laying there and watching her, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of her and nothing but.

[pyromatics]

The Katara kitten near her returned the "Mrr" sound and Zuko snorted. He should have figured he'd done a good job in naming that one after her; after all the nights where that one kitten in particular would splash her paws in her milk to make a mess for him, or she would pounce on his chest or bat at his face with her paws while he tried to sleep-

Yeah. Definitely a good choice there.

"If you wanted to sleep with me, you could have just shoved me over," he murmured, trying not to sound amused or thoughtful. "Or you could have just taken the spare room."

Zuko tugged on one of her hair loopies without meaning to. It just... happened. One of those moments that was there and he took it without realizing.

Something that felt normal and right for him to do. Comfortable.

[pyromatics]

"Probably after curfew." Zuko shrugged a shoulder and said nothing about her batting his hand away. He assumed she didn't like having her hair touched, oops. He'd remember that for next time... if there was a next time.

Carefully he sat up, mindful of the sleeping kittens between them, and dug his fingers into his eyes, rubbing at them. There was a question on the tip of his tongue--

"Uh. Why did you fall asleep at my bed anyways? You know there's no one else here and there's a spare room."

Some of the kittens stirred, Boots and Pocket yawning wide and making faint squeaking noises when they stretched, their little back arching and hair standing up.

[pyromatics]

"Yeah, I don't think your brother would be too thrilled to hear about that," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

Zuko made a gesture to the doorway and then turned his attention down to the kittens at his side. "You should just take the spare room. Not like anyone's using it."

[pyromatics]

He shrugged a shoulder. "Like I said. No one's using the other room."

It wasn't like he was asking her to sleep with him. He was offering up the spare room for a reason, to keep her out of trouble and having to sneak around past the Faculty and Disciplinary Committee.

"Here. Katara, take Katara." Zuko picked up the one dark kitten and held her out for the waterbender to take.

[pyromatics]

Zuko rubbed at the back of his neck and looked away once she had the kitten in her hands. "...Maybe." Dodging wouldn't do you any good, Zuzu.

He pretended to busy himself with gently poking the sleepy kittens beginning to stir on the bed next to him. In his defense ... he had every good reason to name that particular kitten after her.

[pyromatics]

"Uh. No reason."

He shot her a glance and then looked back down at the kittens, his cheeks feeling a little warm. Stop asking, stop asking, stop asking--

[pyromatics]

"...Not really, no."

Zuko picked up the kittens one by one, placing them on the floor so they could go to the saucers to drink their milk. And because he didn't want them falling off the bed and hurting themselves.

"'Katara' seemed like a perfect fit for that one."

Notice he wasn't looking over? Yep.