Wooing Zuko

By Advocaat

This was written as a birthday present for my wonderful friend Boogum.

Happy birthday, girl!

Note: For the sake of succinctness, this story pretends that Zuko and Katara are still single at the end of the show.

Katara had always considered herself a reasonably attractive individual. Her features were symmetrical; her eyes were large and a becoming shade of blue; her skin was clear and smooth. At fifteen years old, her body was still growing but she was happy with its progress. Her legs were shapely and she thought she had a pretty good hip-waist ratio. Sure, she wasn't the most gorgeous creature to ever grace the earth like many of the women in the romance scrolls she indulged in from time to time, but she had always been fairly confident in her appearance.

Lately, however, she'd begun to harbor doubts. Maybe it was from spending so much time around the many gorgeous Fire Nation girls in their sexy, Fire Nation swimwear. The gang had returned to Ember Island for a relaxing postwar vacation and this time, since they were no longer fugitives hiding from the Fire Nation, they were able to use the public beaches. Surrounded by so many lovely young noble girls in their skimpy red bikinis, Katara couldn't help but feel inadequate.

To make matters worse, since the end of the war, Katara had developed a teensy weensy crush on the recently crowned Fire Lord. Maybe it was him saving her life in the battle with Azula. Maybe it was because she could talk with him about anything and know that he actually cared about what she had to say. Maybe it was because he was a damn attractive man. Whatever the reason, she wanted to molest his face. But, to her dismay, Zuko showed no sign of being interested in her that way. Sure, he hung out with her a lot and she knew he considered her one of his dearest friends, but beyond that, she couldn't read any kind of interest at all. His seeming indifference hurt her pride. Wasn't she attractive enough to warrant at least a tiny reaction from him?

After a week of feeling this way, Katara decided she needed to do something to affirm her sex appeal. Anyone who would jump in front of lightning to save a person's life had to have some kind of feelings for them, right? She was determined to find a way to get Zuko's attention.

And so it was that operation 'Woo Zuko' was put into effect.

The first thing Katara did was hit the shopping district in the town and purchase some new clothes. Her normal Fire Nation outfit was already more showy than she was accustomed to as a member of the Water Tribes, but clearly it wasn't enough. After staring at the mirror for a long while and considering her appearance, she decided that she should try flaunting her figure a bit more. As was tradition in her tribe, she'd always kept her breasts bound and her legs covered, but perhaps it was time to loosen the knots a little.

She started by stopping in at a ladies' boutique and purchasing some new undergarments. It amazed her how Fire Nation wrappings seemed to be designed more to enhance than restrict but that was the goal, so she wasn't complaining. Next, she went to a clothier's shop and selected some new tops and skirts. Finally, she blushingly picked out a skimpy little thing from the swimwear shop next door, although she sincerely hoped her labor bore fruit before she had to resort to it.

When she returned to the house, she was greeted by Suki.

"Where have you been all afternoon?" the Kyoshi captain asked, eying the bags in her hands with curiosity. "Shopping?"

"Erm, yeah," Katara replied, shifting her purchases behind her slightly. Just holding them was embarrassing. "You know how hot it is here. I wanted to have something cooler to wear."

Suki accepted her lie without suspicion. She simply nodded and said, "You should've told me you were going. I've been thinking about purchasing a few things as well." She put a finger to her chin contemplatively and added, "Maybe I can convince Sokka to go with me."

Katara laughed at that. "Watch yourself," she warned. "Sokka is a terrifying shopper."

As if summoned, her brother appeared from inside the living room and wandered over to them. "Hey, Katara," he greeted. Then he caught sight of her bags. "What did you buy?"

"Oh, just some clothing," she answered dismissively. Before he could pry, she remarked, "Hey, look at the time! I think I'd better go start dinner." Beating a hasty retreat, she climbed the stairs to second floor and tucked her purchases safely away in her room.

Tomorrow, her plan would begin.

Zuko sat in the kitchen sipping some tea while he waited for his friends to awaken. Today he was feeling especially good. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and for once, nobody wanted him dead. His nation was finally getting back on its feet after several months of postwar chaos and he'd gotten to spend the whole week relaxing with his friends. His life was finally, finally looking up. Moreover, he felt that he and Katara had grown even closer over the week and he was looking forward to spending time with her again today.

To Zuko's surprise, the next person to walk into the kitchen was Toph, who usually preferred to sleep in. "Morning, Hotstuff," she greeted, plopping down onto the stool next to him. "You seem happy."

"I'm never happy," he teased, ruffling her hair.

Toph ducked away from him. "Whoa, physical contact? Someone's more than just happy. What's got you in such a good mood?"

He smiled, even though she couldn't see it, and said, "It's a beautiful day."

Toph just shrugged. "I guess."

Zuko just continued to smile, letting the conversation die there. There was no need to say any more—Toph would understand one day.

The next person to enter, to Zuko's delight, was Katara. The moment he saw her, he smiled widely and started to say, "Good morning, Katar—" but he choked as he saw what she was wearing. "-ah," he finished lamely.

That was definitely not her usual outfit. Instead of her normal single-shouldered midriff top, her chest was just barely covered by an artfully twisted, red...thing that looked more like a swimsuit than a piece of actual clothing. It was completely strapless and stopped just under her breasts. And it exposed a very generous amount of cleavage. Zuko hadn't been aware that Katara even had that much cleavage.

It would be the easiest thing in the world to grab that top and yank it down.

Zuko hastily looked away from her and mentally reprimanded himself for thinking that.

"Morning, Zuko, Toph," she greeted cheerfully, moving around the counter where they were sitting to rummage in the cupboards. As she walked, her skirt shifted, calling attention to a long slit up the side that opened to reveal about a mile of smooth, bare leg.

Zuko gulped and tried to force down the blush creeping over his cheeks. Toph must've noticed his quickening heart rate because she cocked her head at him oddly. Luckily, she said nothing.

Katara abandoned the cupboards with a shake of her head. "Looks like it's gonna be fruit for breakfast today." She looked at him then, and said, "Zuko, could you help me cut?"

He nodded stupidly and rose from his seat to join her behind the counter. She handed him a knife and a melon and her fingers grazed his lightly, causing a shiver to run up through his body. His grip on the fruit tightened and he turned mechanically to face the counter. The two of them chopped side by side in silence for about a minute—a minute in which Zuko was hyperaware of the girl standing next to him. What had prompted her sudden wardrobe change? And what on earth had compelled her to pick an outfit like that? He didn't know where to put his eyes without feeling like he was being disrespectful.

The silence was broken when Katara looked up at him and said, "You're awfully tense this morning. Did that melon do something to offend you?"

Zuko looked down at his melon and only then did he realize that in his distraction his slices had become sloppy and the pieces he'd cut looked less like wedges and more like carnage.

Katara rolled her eyes in affectionate exasperation and set her knife aside. Moving to stand behind him, she reached around him and covered the hand he was using to hold the knife with her own. Zuko immediately stiffened at the contact and Katara flicked him in the back of the head. "Loosen up, geez. You're like a ruffled pygmy-puma."

She stepped closer and Zuko almost wanted to bolt when he felt her breasts push against his back. Instead, he swallowed and allowed her to guide his hand back to the melon. His legs turned to jelly as her warm breath washed over his neck and he relinquished all control to her, taking the backseat while as she used his body to finish chopping the fruit. When she at last stepped away, he nearly lost his footing as his tension released and his brain regained control of his limbs.

He didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed when Katara excused herself to go wake the others for breakfast.

Katara scowled as she climbed the stairs. Zuko hadn't reacted to her new outfit at all! In fact, he had barely even looked at her. When she'd attempted to use physical contact to get his attention, he'd acted more wary than interested.

She sighed, depressed. What would it take to get through to him? Maybe it was hopeless. Maybe he really just didn't have any feelings like that for her after all.

No, she wouldn't give up just yet. She still had an arsenal of ideas left to try. She'd just have to step up her game a bit.

True to her word, she woke the rest of their friends for breakfast. Sokka had a small freak-out about her outfit when he saw her but Suki came to her defense, telling him that her choice was actually quite practical in all this heat. Aang responded to her change in wardrobe by blushing like a tomato and stammeringly telling that he thought she looked great.

At least someone appreciated her appearance.

Revising her battle plan, Katara descended the stairs once more.

Zuko munched his breakfast, trying hard not to look like he was staring at the dark-skinned girl seated across from him. This was made difficult not only because she was still wearing significantly less than normal, but also because straight ahead was the eye's natural path and she'd placed herself firmly in that path.

Luckily, Katara didn't appear to be paying much attention to him or where his eyes were wandering. She was staring off at nothing, nibbling on her melon wedge with a contemplative look on her face. Just briefly, he thought he saw her eyes flicker to him but she cast them away too quickly for him to be sure.

She was just lifting the last small bite of melon to her lips when it slipped out of her fingers and dropped onto her chest, falling neatly into the cleft of her breasts. Zuko gulped as his eyes were drawn immediately to that location. Katara laughed lightly and said, "Whoops. Silly me," before reaching a finger between them and scooping the piece out. Zuko's eyes followed the motion, completely ignoring the signals from his brain telling them that it wasn't respectful to stare. His eyes continued to ignore those signals as she popped the piece into her mouth and used her fingers to wipe the juice off her skin before bringing them back up to her mouth and licking them clean.

Zuko's cheeks flushed and his good eye grew large as his brain stopped sending signals to his eyes and started sending them to another, more southern part of his anatomy. He quickly ducked his head, hiding his face behind his hair, and crossed his legs. The last thing he needed was for anyone to notice his reaction.

It was in doing this that he missed Katara's glance and subsequent huff. He also missed Suki sneaking a glance at Katara and then at him, a knowing look in her eyes.

Katara glowered at her closet. Once again, her plan had been entirely ineffective. She'd thought she had him for sure when she saw that she'd finally gained his attention, so she went ahead with one of her most daring, not to mention shameful plans. She'd fought to keep the embarrassed flush off her cheeks the whole time as she purposefully dropped food on herself and then wiped it off as sexily as possible. She couldn't believe the lengths she was willing to go to get that boy's attention. And he didn't react at all! When she peeked at him to see how her little act had affected him, he wasn't even looking at her. She'd degraded herself in front of everyone just for him and he hadn't even been watching!

Luckily, the spirits had deigned to offer her another chance. The six of them were going down to the beach today, which would give her plenty of opportunities to try out some of the most classic tricks in the wooing bible.

She cringed as she pulled the swimwear she'd bought the previous day out of the closet, eying the skimpy crimson garment with resignation. "Zuko, you had better appreciate this."

"Aha," a voice—Suki's—came from behind her. "I thought that's what was going on."

Katara jumped and whipped around to face her friend. "Ah, Suki! You startled me," she said, playing innocent.

Suki had her arms crossed and was looking at her smugly. "That was quite a show you put on at breakfast."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katara denied, turning her chin away.

"So, Zuko, huh? And here everybody thought it was Aang that you liked."

Clearly Suki wasn't going to drop the subject, so Katara gave up her resistance. She dropped her shoulders in defeat and shook her head. "It's weird, right? I spent so much time being bitter and mean to Zuko, but now..."

Suki nodded understandingly. "Now you can't help but think how delicious he'd look between your legs."

"SUKI!" Katara's face exploded with heat. She couldn't believe what had just come out of her friend's mouth.

Suki seemed to be amused by her outburst. "Ah, sorry. You haven't reached that point yet, have you."

Katara lifted her swimsuit up and draped it over her face as if she could hide from the world behind it. If she hadn't been thinking about that before, she most certainly was now.

"Tell you what," Suki said, uncrossing her arms and putting them on her hips instead. "I'll help you out."

Katara peeked out at her from behind the swimsuit. "Help me out?"

Suki nodded. "I'll try to keep the others distracted while we're at the beach. No promises, though. That's kind of a tough bunch to keep in line."

Katara smiled gratefully. Not having to worry as much about Sokka and Aang would make things a lot easier for her. "Thanks, Suki."

"No problem," the other girl replied, shaking her head dismissively. "You and Zuko are my friends and I want to see the both of you happy. Now, how about you show me that red thing you're wearing on your face."

After lunch, the group filed out of the house and made their way in the direction of the public beach, talking amongst themselves excitedly. Toph was bragging about her sandbending and had extended a challenge to Aang, which he enthusiastically accepted. Suki walked beside Sokka and the two of them were smiling and playfully butting each other with their elbows.

Zuko watched Sokka and his girlfriend as he trailed at the back of the group with Katara. He envied their easy relationship. Zuko wished he had Sokka's confidence to be able to just put his feelings out there and accept whatever came as a result. He glanced over at the girl next to him wrapped in a large, red beach towel and smiling at some flitting around in the trees over their heads. He wished things could stay like this forever, Katara at his side and his friends just ahead; everyone smiling and happy. He didn't want to ruin everything by burdening everyone with his feelings for Katara. Aang liked her too, after all. Admitting how he felt would just create tension in the group. And even if Aang didn't like her, the reality that Katara probably didn't return his feelings was enough to still his tongue.

He was nervous about what the end of their vacation would entail for him. Katara would have no reason to stay in the Fire Nation. She would probably continue to travel with Aang and then they would fall in love and get married and Zuko would be miserable for the rest of his life. That, or she would go back to the South Pole and meet a handsome Water Tribe warrior and they would fall in love and get married and Zuko would be miserable for the rest of his life. Either way, a life of misery inevitably awaited him after this vacation.

He shook his head to dispel those thoughts. Cheer up, Zuko. You're used to being miserable. Just enjoy this happiness while you can.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Katara's hand grab his own. He looked down at her, bewildered. "Katara?"

"You looked like you were having a mope," she stated, giving him a look. "What's on your mind?"

"I wasn't moping," he protested. "I was cheering myself up."

Katara gave him the mother of all flat looks. "Zuko, the last person who should be cheering you up is you."

Zuko opened his mouth to rebut her statement but he had to close it again because she was right and he knew it.

"So, what's got you down, anyway?" she inquired. "I thought things were going well for you."

"They are," he assured her. "Everything's going great, actually. I've never been happier."

Katara gave him a small, teasing smirk. "So…what? That was a celebratory mope?"

Zuko scowled at her and she responded by reaching up with her free hand and flicking him in the forehead. "Ow!" he protested, jerking his head away and rubbing the spot with a glower.

"That's for being gloomy about nothing," she informed him with a playful smile. "It's how I respond to people who brood for no reason." She arranged her fingers into flicking formation again and held her hand in front of his face threateningly. "So, I suggest you either cheer up or provide me with a legitimate reason for your mope."

Zuko ducked away and shielded his head with the arm that wasn't still attached to hers at the hand. "Okay, okay!" he surrendered, and to his relief, she lowered her hand. "Like I said, it's not that I'm unhappy or anything. It's just..." he paused to think of a way to phrase the issue without giving too much away. "I'm just worried this happiness isn't going to last," he said at last. "Like, sure things are great now, but after this vacation everyone's going to go their separate ways and I'll be stuck in the Fire Nation and who knows when we'll all see each other again, and—"

He was cut off when Katara flicked him in the head again. He recoiled with a yelp. "What was that for?"

"I asked for a legitimate reason," she said, rolling her eyes at him as though he'd said something exasperation-worthy. Then her eyes landed on his and he saw them soften. He felt her squeeze his hand and she continued, "Zuko, we're your friends. We're not just gonna say 'see ya later' and run off forever now that the war's over. We're here for you. And we always will be."

Zuko felt a smile tug at his lips and he curled his fingers around hers, gripping her hand back.

"Besides," she said, pointing ahead of them, "we're at the beach now. No grumps allowed."

She pulled him out onto the sand behind their friends, and the group scanned the beach, looking for a good spot to lay their towels and umbrellas. They found a nice, unoccupied spot near some palm trees and Aang and Toph quickly dropped their stuff off and then raced away to the water to begin their sand sculpture competition. Suki glanced back at him and Katara and shared a look with the waterbender that Zuko didn't understand, then she tugged Sokka with her toward the waves.

Katara let go of his hand and slung her beach bag off her back, depositing it with the rest of the stuff at the foot of the trees. Zuko set up a large, red umbrella and laid his towel under it, patting down the lumps while she fished around in her stuff.

"Hey, Zuko," she called to him. "Could you do me a favor?"

He looked up at her curiously. "Sure. What do you need?"

She held up a small round tin from her bag. "Could you help rub suntan lotion on my back? I'm afraid I'll miss spots if I try to do it myself."

Zuko looked at her, bewildered. Since when did Katara bother with suntan lotion? "Um, sure," he agreed.

She smiled at him sunnily. "Thanks, I appreciate it." She then pulled her towel from around her shoulders to lay it on the sand, and Zuko's jaw dropped.

What in every spirit, god, and Avatar's name was she wearing?

He had never seen a garment with such little cloth in his life. The top was nothing but two triangles of fabric tied together with strings, and the bottom was practically the same thing. He'd thought Ty Lee's swimsuit was skimpy, but hers had nothing on this one. Zuko was seeing bits of flesh he'd never seen before on a girl. When she turned around, his eyes were drawn immediately downward to the natural crease where the tops of her thighs swelled into her rump. He swallowed hard and took a step back, suddenly very glad for the piece of cloth that hung down over the front of his crimson swim shorts.

Never in his life had he seen anything as arousing as Katara in that swimsuit.

He watched, unable to look away if he tried, as she spread out her towel, and his good eye must have grown as large as a dinner plate when she bent over to straighten the corners, giving him a front row view of that much celebrated area between a girl's legs, outlined by the red cloth.

Now, Zuko had never been a particularly hormonal teenager. In fact, he'd barely given girls a thought in the three years that he'd been on his mission to hunt the Avatar—much to his uncle's chagrin. To be honest, he was downright oblivious to many of the cues girls gave him. He knew that about himself. When he was with Mai, that had been fine. She'd been content to simply make out and leave it at that. Nothing too complicated. And she was direct about what she'd wanted. Zuko was happy to let her take the lead and indulge her when she desired something.

However, now it was Zuko who desired something and he was quickly coming to realize that he had no idea how to act in such a situation. His body and mind had never been so at odds about something. His body wanted to tackle her into the sand and do that thing that often leads to procreation, but his mind was screaming, 'don't look! She's your friend! She would never forgive you if she found out you were thinking about her as a potential bedmate. You're being dishonorable. She doesn't like you that way. For the love of Agni, stop staring!'

He subtly clenched his teeth as Katara straightened and walked up to him with the tin. When he failed to accept it from her, she rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, setting the tin in it herself. "Earth to space-case," she called, giving him a light swat on the shoulder. Then she turned around and lifted her hair, exposing her back to him.

Zuko couldn't help but admire the way her shoulder blades shifted under her smooth, bronze skin. Oh, she was lovely.

Hardly believing she was letting him touch her, he popped the lid off the tin and smeared cream onto his hands. He hesitated just briefly before letting them come in contact with her body, and when they did, he sighed at the gentle warmth of her back. Carefully, he spread the cream all around, massaging it into her skin. She had wonderful skin; clear and soft and so enticingly dark compared with the pale skin of his hands. And just under the surface he could feel sinewy muscle; the product of hard training and fighting for her life.

His hands slipped under the strings holding her top together in order to cover the entire surface of her back, and it didn't escape his notice just how easy it would be to pull the knots free and let the garment fall from her body. Of course, he would never do that. Probably. Hopefully.

Quickly, he finished and stepped back before his certainty in his own self-control could drop any lower.

Katara let her hair drop and turned around, giving him an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Zuko. I can get the rest."

She took the tin from his hands and Zuko exhaled a small sigh of relief that the pleasant torture was over.

Or so he thought.

She scooped out a large dollop of cream and rubbed it on her hands, then she began to rub those hands over her body, starting at her shoulders and working her way inward to her collar bones and then down, down over the top of her chest and under the strings running from the upper corners of her top to fasten around the back of her neck. His eyes followed, unblinking, as her hands continued to descend over the swells of her breasts, her fingertips disappearing under the fabric briefly before traveling inward again to rub at the valley between them, carefully covering every inch of skin.

Then she spread more cream over her hands and moved on to her stomach, running her palms up and down along the planes of her abdomen. He continued to watch avidly as she lifted a leg and began to rub lotion on her thigh, the oil from the cream leaving a shining residue everywhere it touched, causing her skin to glow enticingly. Her hands slid up to cover the flesh around the juncture of her thighs and it was at this point that Zuko forced himself to tear his eyes away, disgusted at his own lewdness. Katara was his friend and he was betraying her trust by ogling her and entertaining inappropriate thoughts about her. She was an amazing girl who deserved respect and admiration and that didn't change just because she was now less than fully clothed.

He resolved, then, that he wouldn't lose to his hormones. He would show only the utmost respect for Katara, whatever her state of dress, and nothing would make him budge.

Katara wanted to rip her hair out. She thought she had finally begun to make some progress with Zuko when he had appeared to fall into her lotion trap, but then he'd suddenly become distant, and after that, no matter what she did, he showed every sign of being completely uninterested. It was maddening! It was infuriating! It made her want to scream!

It made her want to cry.

Did she really have so little sex appeal? She was strutting around practically naked, and still she could barely get him to bat an eyelash. If being practically naked wasn't enough to turn Zuko's head, then there were only two conclusions she could make. Either he really just wasn't attracted to her at all, or she simply didn't have anything worth looking at.

She excused herself to go buy a drink and trudged away miserably through the sand, feeling more depressed than she had since Sozin's Comet had threatened to end the world as they knew it.

That's when Suki found her.

"Katara? Are you okay?" the Kyoshi captain asked, looking concerned.

"Suki, it's hopeless," she lamented. "I don't know if he just doesn't like me or if I'm not attractive enough or what, but—"

Suki stopped her by wagging a finger in her face. "Stop right there," she commanded with a frown. "I know for a fact that one of those things isn't true, and I have it on pretty good authority that the other one isn't either. Now, tell me the details."

Katara sighed frustratedly. "I've done just about everything short of jumping on him laying a fat one on his stupid mouth! He doesn't respond to anything. I really don't know how much more of this my pride can take.

Suki nodded with a considering look on her face. Then she said, "You know what? I think it's time to change things up a bit."

Katara eyed her friend with piqued curiosity. "Change things up?"

Suki nodded and a wicked gleam appeared in her eye. "Yeah, I think an adjustment of strategy is in order." She looked around the beach as if searching for something, then her eyes lit up as they landed on a group of boys gathered around a net. "How do you feel about a game of volleyball?"

Feeling a tad apprehensive, Katara followed Suki as she strode confidently up to the group of boys, swaying her hips purposefully. She wasn't sure what this had to do with wooing Zuko, but she trusted Suki knew what she was doing. The boys caught sight of them and one of them whistled appreciatively.

Suki stopped in front of them and stood with her hip jutted out and her hands on her waist. "Hey guys," she greeted. "You needed any extra players?"

Katara could almost feel the boys' eyes as they looked her and Suki up and down. She'd never felt more naked. Somehow, being looked at by these boys was different than being looked at by Zuko. Their gazes made her want to go back to their bags and put on more clothes.

The boys gave each other smug looks and then one of them sad, "Sure, gorgeous. We can make space for a couple of lovely ladies."

Suki smiled sweetly. "Great. What team are we on?"

Players were divided and teams were decided and, much to Katara's surprise, when they began to play, she found herself actually rather enjoying the game. It allowed her to exercise the speed and reflexes she'd picked up during the war and she and Suki made formidable competition for the players on the other team. Moreover, most of the boys turned out to actually be pretty nice guys. There were a couple she wasn't sure about but the majority were surprisingly cool and she was enjoying their company more and more as they played together. She even found herself liking how flirty they were with her. It made her feel sexy, which did a lot to boost her confidence. She even flirted back a bit, simply because she could.

This must be what it's like to be a normal teenager, she thought as she spiked the ball into the other team's court, to the whoops of her teammates. If there had never been a war, Sokka and I could've had a life like this back at the South Pole. She stepped back into position as the ball was served again. But if it weren't for the war, I never would've met Aang, or Toph, or Suki, she glanced past her teammates to a short ways beyond the sidelines, where a familiar dark-haired boy with a star-shaped scar on his chest stood, watching them, and she smiled to herself. Or Zuko.

The game ended with her team's victory and with a wink, Suki excused herself to go find Sokka. Katara was just about to head over to where Zuko was standing when she was stopped by one of the boys from the other team.

"Hey," he said, putting a hand on her arm. "You were pretty good back there."

"Thanks," she replied, smiling at the compliment.

She caught sight of Zuko walking toward them out of the corner of her eye as the boy continued, "What do you say to getting some ice cream and taking a walk along the beach?"

Katara's eyes widened slightly. Was he asking her out? She was all set to politely decline his invitation, but then her eyes found Zuko again and a wicked idea bubbled to the surface in her mind. Instead of declining him, she smiled radiantly at the boy and, raising her voice enough to make sure Zuko could hear, answered, "Sure. I'd love to."

Zuko had observed the game of volleyball with mounting irritation. The way those boys had looked at Suki and Katara when they approached had made his blood heat up, and not in a good way. The whole time they played, he watched the men sneak peeks at Katara, no doubt fully enjoying the view as her torso stretched and her breasts bounced whenever she jumped for the ball. It aggravated him greatly seeing her being drooled over like a piece of candy. His possessive side wanted nothing better than to march over there and put those boys in their place as he had when Ruon Jian had approached Mai before, but he couldn't because Katara wasn't his girlfriend and he had no justifiable reason to intrude on her business.

Instead, he had moved closer, keeping a vigilant eye on the goings on for any sign of ill intentions toward his best friend. But the boys kept their flirting mild enough not to warrant action from him, and to his dismay, Katara had indulged them. Her playful attitude caused jealous knots to form in his stomach and hurt to blossom in his chest. She had left him behind to play beach volleyball with a group of strange men. And she was enjoying herself. It made him feel inadequate.

Zuko shook his head and his scowl intensified. He'd had enough of feeling inadequate in his life. He wouldn't be beaten by them. By Aang, maybe, or even a warrior from the Water Tribes—provided he was a warrior of honor—but not by a gaggle of spoiled Fire Nation beach brats. Especially a gaggle of spoiled Fire Nation beach brats who looked at Katara the way they did.

The game ended, and as the players dispersed, he walked toward Katara, intending to drag her away to go swimming or build sand Appas or do just about anything that didn't involve unfamiliar men while she was in that state of (un)dress. But just as he reached her, she was approached by one of them—a tall, muscular teen with dark brown hair and a pompous air. Zuko bristled when the guy put his hand on Katara's arm and when he went further to ask her to accompany him for a walk along the beach, Zuko was fully prepared to tell the kid to get lost. Katara isn't interested in you.

But then she said yes.

Zuko stopped in his tracks, unbelieving of what he'd just heard. She...agreed? His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. But…but she didn't even know him!

He stood there, stunned, as she turned and headed off down the beach with the guy, not even sparing him a second glance.

"Zuko? Hey, buddy, what's wrong?"

Zuko felt Sokka's hand on his shoulder and the contact snapped him back into action. Abruptly, he turned, shrugging off Sokka's hand, and declared, "I have to go," before marching away across the sand.

Katara was beginning to second guess her master plan. This guy—Jin Lu, he'd said his name was—had turned out to not be the most engaging conversation partner. That wasn't to say he didn't talk—that he did in excess—but it was more a steady stream of boasting than a proper conversation. All she could do was smile and nod as he related his many, many fascinating exploits. She found herself wishing she was back with Zuko. Conversations with him were never like this; tiring and grating and altogether exasperating. Zuko never tried to build himself up and Katara hadn't realized how much she appreciated that about him until now.

They had walked a long way, leaving the populated areas of beach behind, and were now wandering through a rockier stretch lined with large sea-caves. She could no longer hear the shouts of children or squeals of teenagers in the surf, only the occasional squawk of a toucan-puffin from high on the rocks and the rustling of greenery from the jungle just beyond the cliffs. And, of course, the man beside her, whose tales were becoming more and more farfetched the longer he spoke.

She was considering making up an excuse to leave him here and go back to her friends when they rounded a bend and suddenly she was being pushed up against the cliffside and pinned there by his body, which he had pressed flush against hers.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she demanded, trying to push him off.

He silenced her by covering her mouth with his and her eyes shot open wide. Outraged, she made a move to slap him but he grabbed both her hands and pinned her wrists. Pulling back to speak, he said, "What are you getting all feisty about? You agreed to come out here with me."

"I agreed to take a walk with you! Not this!" she fired back, struggling harder in his hold.

"That swimsuit tells me otherwise." He released one of her wrists and moved his hand to grope one of her breasts through the material of her top.

Katara gasped at his gall and immediately brought her knee up to connect with his crotch. His grip loosened and she pulled free, making a break for the shoreline as he doubled over, cursing. "You little bitch!" he called after her, straightening despite the pain and lunging after her.

She reached the water and quickly used her bending to summon a torrent to knocked him back, much the way she had the day Zuko had first attempted to join their group. This boy had no idea who he was messing with.

Jin Lu coughed and spluttered as saltwater dripped from his hair onto the sand. "You're a waterbender!" he accused, leveling a finger at her.

Katara pulled more water to her and let it wind menacingly around her. "You got a problem with that?" she challenged.

He wiped his mouth, looking suddenly disgusted. "Gross! I can't believe I kissed a waterbender."

Katara bristled. "Excuse me?" This guy forced himself on her and now he had the nerve to insult her bending? She didn't think she'd ever felt so offended. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Just a minute ago you couldn't keep your hands off me and now I'm gross? Just because I'm a waterbender? If anyone's gross, it's you! Slimeballs like you make me sick!" She sent her ribbon of water flying and deftly froze him to the nearest rock. She then turned on her heel and marched away, back toward the populated beaches and her friends.

Katara didn't see him melt quickly through the ice with firebending and raise his hand to send a blast at her back. But somebody else did, and she was alerted to the situation when she heard a yelp behind her. She whirled back around was met by the sight of Zuko twisting Jin Lu's arm painfully behind him, a menacing look on his face.

"You should have more honor than to attack an opponent whose back is turned," he said in a low voice, almost a growl.

Katara took the scene in with confusion. What was Zuko doing here? And where had he been up till now?

"Who the hell are you?" Jin Ju demanded, looking back at Zuko over his shoulder, his wrist still firmly held by the other boy.

"A friend of hers," he replied, flicking his chin in Katara's direction but not taking his eyes off the man in his grasp.

"Her friend? What, were you stalking us?" Jin Lu asked incredulously, even though he was grimacing from the painful position he was being held in.

Zuko's lips turned upward briefly but there was no mirth in his eyes. "That's exactly what I was doing."

"You were following us?" Katara echoed. Not that she wasn't happy to see him, but... "Why?"

This time, Zuko's eyes flickered to hers and he answered, "Do you think I'm not male, Katara? I knew what he was after."

Katara mentally hit herself. Zuko was looking out for her. Of course he was.

Focusing again on Jin Lu, Zuko pulled the teen's arm back even further, causing him to whimper. In a dangerous voice, he said, "I want to hurt you." He paused, and the bluntness of the statement caused a shiver to run up Katara's spine. He continued by saying, "I saw what you did to her, and believe me when I say that I'd like nothing better than to beat you into the ground." His expression hardened even further. "But I won't, because people like you won't change just from being roughed up a little. So I'll say this instead; stay away from Katara. If you ever come near her again, I'll let her deal with you. And just between you and me, buddy, she can do things to you that will make you wish I had just dealt with you myself right now."

With that, he let go of Jin Lu and the guy quickly ran several paces away, nursing his strained arm. "You're both crazy!" he exclaimed, and it seemed to Katara that he was attempting to get in the last word after being clearly shaken up by Zuko. She imagined his male pride didn't like that. "I'm outta here!" He turned and hurried away across the sand.

Zuko watched him leave, that same hard look still in his eyes, until he disappeared completely behind the rocks. Now it was just the two of them. Katara suddenly felt ashamed. She had left Zuko behind; gone off with a strange man just to make him jealous; but he had still cared enough to come after her. Sure, she could've dealt with Jin Lu by herself, but Zuko's concern and protectiveness touched her. He was such a good friend and she was just being petty.

Walking over to him, she laid a hand on his arm and said sincerely, "Thanks for helping me."

Zuko's expression instantly softened and he looked her over with worry in his eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked. He raised his hands like he wanted to touch her to make sure physically that she was okay but they just sort of hovered between them, not making contact as his eyes roamed over her body.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "A bit shaken up and incredibly irritated, but fine."

Zuko looked relieved momentarily but then he frowned. "Why would you go off with somebody like him?" he demanded. "It was clear what he wanted."

Katara crossed her arms over her chest and scowled slightly. "Maybe to you. He seemed nice enough to me. At first."

Zuko's frown deepened. "Of course he did. He wasn't going to win you over by being a jerk, was he?"

Katara conceded his point on that one, but still, Zuko's tone sounded a little too accusatory for her liking. Huffily, she snapped back, "Well, I wouldn't have gone with him in the first place if you weren't so difficult!"

Zuko's expression changed to one of confusion. "Me?" he asked, sounding bewildered. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Everything!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air.

Perhaps it was due to the shock of what had just happened to her, but her feelings were all coming to the surface and she decided she was tired of hiding them. "You think I dressed like this because I like it?" she asked pointedly. "Do you think I enjoy making a fool of myself and dropping food down my front?" she continued, gaining momentum. "Do you have any idea how much easier my life would be if you weren't such a big, oblivious doofus?"

Zuko shook his head. "I don't understand."

"Of course you don't!" she exclaimed. "That's the problem! You still don't get it, and I don't think I could be any more obvious if I came out and said it!"

Zuko scowled at her. "Well, maybe you should try that, because I really don't know what you're talking about."

Katara felt her frustration bubble up until she could no longer contain it and it exploded out of her in word form. "I'm saying I like you, idiot!"

There, it was out. If this didn't get through to him, she would find a dark corner and sit in it for the rest of her life.

Zuko looked at her in confusion for a brief moment, then his eyes widened. He took a step back, eyes still fixed on her. Then he looked away. Then back at her again. Then away again. He raised a hand to the back of his head and scratched silently, then he turned around, walked a few steps, and stopped, crossing his arms over his chest. He stood there for a brief moment before uncrossing his arms and coming back to stand in front of her again. He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it, looked away, looked back, and finally said, "You do?"

For the love of Agni. "Yes."

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck and eyed her warily, as though he didn't quite believe what he'd heard. "When you say like, do you mean like as in, like, like? Or..."

He looked unsure but he also looked, dare she think it, hopeful? Whatever it was he was feeling at her confession, it seemed to her to be more positive than negative, and that gave Katara the confidence boost she needed to grab his face and pull it down to hers. She pressed her mouth against his firmly, not leaving any room for misinterpretation.

Zuko blinked and then closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss. He placed his hands on her shoulders and tilted his head a bit to press more eagerly against her. Katara mentally celebrated. That was a very positive response.

All too soon, he pulled away and he moved back slightly to look at her in wonder. "Okay," he said seriously and he nodded, but whether it was to her or himself, she wasn't sure.

"Okay?" she repeated, furrowing her eyebrows. "That's all you have to say? What does that even mean?"

Zuko ran a hand through his hair and frowned. "Sorry," he said apologetically. "I'm just trying to figure this out."

Oh, he was exasperating. What kind of man responded like this to being confessed to and subsequently kissed? "What's to figure out?" she asked, crossing her arms. "I like you, Zuko. Now, do you like me back, or...?" She wheeled her hand impatiently.

"Yes," he said quickly, as though she would rescind her confession if he made her wait any longer. He looked at her earnestly. "Yes, I do. A lot."

Glee bubbled up in Katara's chest, her irritation melting away, and she smiled widely. "Really?"

Zuko laughed, and Katara didn't think shelf ever heard such a mixture of relief and joy in a sound. "You have no idea, Katara."

"No, I don't," she agreed. "You never showed any signs of being interested."

"Of course I didn't!" he exclaimed, still smiling. "I thought you liked Aang!"

Katara took a step back and made an incredulous face. That was it? That was the reason for all of her frustration up till now? She took a deep, calming breath and then lifted her face to the sky and called out, slowly and clearly, "Excuse me, world? This is Katara. I'd just like you and everyone who's listening to know that Aang likes me. Not the other way around. Thank you."

Turning back to Zuko, she crossed her arms again and said, "Any questions?"

Zuko grinned and stepped forward. "No. I think I understand."

Later that night, they were sitting on the sofa together after everyone else had gone upstairs, just basking in each other's company. Katara had changed back into her normal clothing and was snuggled up against Zuko's side. She didn't want to break the comfortable silence but a thought had been bugging her since Zuko had confessed that he felt the same about her as she did about him, and she had to ask.

"Zuko," she started, looking up at him.

"Yes?" he answered, meeting her gaze.

"There's something I still don't understand," she told him. "If you liked me this whole time, then why didn't anything I do today get a rise out of you? I was trying my best to be sexy but you didn't even seem to notice."

"Didn't notice?" Zuko echoed, looking at her incredulously. "Believe me, I noticed."

This answer confused her. "But you didn't react at all," she protested.

Zuko surprised her when he suddenly laughed out loud.

"What?" she questioned, crossing her arms grumpily.

"Katara, you had me at my wits' end all day! I didn't know if I was going to make it through. You don't know how much a wanted to..." he trailed off, blushing.

"Wanted to...?" she prompted him to finish, a blush heating her own cheeks in anticipation of what he might say.

Zuko didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her with him off the sofa and toward the stairs.

Katara wasn't a hundred percent sure what he had planned for them, but it seemed safe to say that operation: 'Woo Zuko' was a success.

After the two of them had retreated to the upstairs and the house was dark and quiet, the sofa they had been sitting on glanced over at the loveseat and said, "I freaking knew it."

~Omake~

"Who the hell are you?" Jin Lu demanded, looking back at Zuko over his shoulder, his wrist still firmly held by the other boy.

Zuko brought up his free hand and slapped Jin Lu across the face, the sharp smack! echoing across the beach like a red palm on a ho's rear. "Bitch, I am the Fire Lord."

oO0Oo

There it is, folks! I hope you enjoyed Wooing Zuko half as much as I did writing it. Especially you, Kim. Happy birthday again! And have a lovely birthday evening. I ended up not using any of your prompts, as you can see, but I thought you'd get a kick out of this anyhow. It's actually an idea I had a while back, but I forgot about it and likely never would've written it if it hadn't suddenly come back to me while brainstorming for your present.

So, this ended up being a lot longer than I intended (story of my life). But hey, people don't usually complain about that. I'm sorry if parts seem choppy, I did most of the editing late at night when I wasn't all there. Heh. Deadlines, am I right?

Anyhoo, drop a review/comment if you have the time. I love hearing what people think.

Peace,

Advocaat