Too Close

memories

"Hey kat so I'm kind of dumb and we know this but what's the difference between a Carmel latte and a Carmel macchiato? Cause I forgot what you wanted and got both?" Zuko walked into the house with two cups but paused seeing Sokka and Hakoda looked at him from the kitchen.

"... and a manly black coffee for me?" He pursed his lips awkwardly.

"There's two cups..?" Sokka raised a brow.

"Well tell Katara I said hi, and I'll be on my way out," Zuko set the cups down as she ran down the stairs.

"Bring them up and you too, I gotta show you something!" Katara smiled smugly at him as Zuko grabbed the coffees and escaped her brother and father.

"Door open!" Hakoda called.

"I'm locking it!" Katara yelled back as the door closed when Zuko got inside.

"Does Your dad even like me?" Zuko handed her the coffees as she looked at the labels.

"You got two?" She asked flatly.

"What's the difference?"

"Here you can have the latte," Katara snorted as she sat on the bed and he sat on the floor. He sipped the coffee suspiciously but was surprised how good it was.

"So what did you want to show me?" He asked happily sipping more of the latte.

"So there's the whole Christmas break thing coming up and I don't celebrate Christmas," Katara smiled pulling her laptop to her.

"Neither do I," Zuko agreed.

"Really? Why?" She asked curiously.

"Not religious," and trauma.

"Oh gotcha, I use to celebrate it when my grams but stopped when we moved away," she understood and went back to her laptop.

"So I was thinking what if we had a movie night with everyone that are all holiday themes but Christmas? I really want to bake these cheese cake cookies and I think making them look like pumpkins would be cute," Katara showed him the recipe with a bright smile. He smiled a little at her loving her enthusiasm for something that was silly but genuinely seemed like a fun time.

"I'd be down," he agreed.

"Also my dads going back to Alaska to visit my gran gran and Sokka is going to be sleeping at suki's a lot more," she hummed turning on the tv and grabbed her nail polish.

"So we can finally build a fort?" Zuko perked up.

"Well I was thinking nerf war but fine," Katara pouted a little as she shook the nail polish a little.

"You shoot a gun once and suddenly you think you can beat me with one," Zuko scoffed rolling his eyes but watched intrigued with her painting her toes.

"You think your experience isn't going to make me try beating you even more? Your a funny guy," she snorted sarcastically and saw he was watching her paint.

Katara smiled smugly and grabbed his hand to paint his thumb knowing he wouldn't fight back.

"Aw now we're matching," she teased holding her blue painted nails to show him. Zukos eyes lit up in awe.

"I thought guys can't wear nail polish?" Zuko asked confused as he let her paint the rest of his hand, he didn't care that much, he's never had painted nails. It felt weird, like his fingers were heavier almost.

"Anyone can wear nail polish, it's just paint," Katara chuckled as she stuck out her tongue concentrating.

"Azula didn't like nail polish, and my mom didn't wear it often, nothing against it, but I just think my father didn't like it on her either," Zuko shrugged a little as she finished, he held his hand out and cocked his head to the side.