Of Firelords and Birthday Cakes (Zutara)

Instructions: Just add love (P1)

Quick intro: After the War, Zuko is now the firelord, and has restored peace to the realm. Setting takes place in a small Earth Kingdom village just outside Ba Sing Se. 

I also am not a Avatar expert. -shrugs- Just so you know. And this first part is a bit long. 

: : : : : : : : : : : 

"Katara it's Zuko's birthday! Quick!" Aang came whirling in as a tornado of air and robes, tumbling through the door as if it wasn't there, "Bake a cake! Or make an ice-sculpture of his head!" he panted, bouncing up and trotting over to where I sat, "He needs to feel loved!"

I glanced over the top of the book I was reading at his adorable, pleading face, which was totally panicked, his grey eyes wide, "Please Katara?"

"An ice-sculpture of Zuko's head?" I flipped the page, before setting the book down and glancing up at Aang, "What kind of present is that?"

Aang sighed, "You don't have to make that...just you know...you could make a cake."

He smiled.

I sighed and flipped a wet strand of hair over my shoulder, "When did you find out it was his birthday? I didn't know he gave out information like that."

"Just now." Aang pointed out the door, then gave me his puppy eyes, "Please Katara?"

I let out another breath again, getting up out of the hammock, "Fine, we need ingredients and if you want him to have a cake so bad, perhaps you should help."

"Hooray!" Aang jumped, giving the air a fist-bump, "I'll get the stuff, what do you need?"

I strode over to the bookshelf in the adjoining room and looked for a baking guide, "Well, I do know a few basic ingredients...what flavor cake does Zuko like?"

Aang froze, "I don't know." he paused, then lit up, "Maybe a fire cake? Or you know, lava?"

I grimaced, running my hand over the few cookbooks on the shelf, "I don't think even the Fire Lord can eat lava, Aang. And besides, that's not a real cake flavor."

Aang stopped, seeming genuinely stumped as he fingered his chin. I found the right book, and taking it out, brushed off the volume and heaved it into my arms.

The Avatar tilted his head, "That's a big book for food."

I started off for the kitchen, my bare feet padding against the wooden floor, and Aang followed, "Well, there are lots of foods." I countered.

"That's true." he admitted.

Getting to the kitchen, I slapped the huge book down on the table, then opened it to the first page. I used my finger to scroll down, looking for cake recipes, an eager gray gaze following my every move.

Just then, the door slammed open, and I heard the purposeful steps of my older brother stride in from the adjoining room, "Hey Katara, would you happen to have like, a wrench?"

I flipped the book a few pages in, looking for further index, "Why can't you just use your boomerang or something?"

I could tell that today was painting day, because of the overwhelming scent of toxic plants as Sokka walked over the floor to the kitchen.

The construction crew, meaning Sokka, Zuko, Toph, Aang, and I, had been working on making an addition to our condo to make room for more people, and as Sokka offered, lots more sleepovers. It had been a mess, and the crew had been constantly covered in dirt and plaster for the longest time.

Of course, there was no one else to make sure they didn't starve to death besides me. Suki tried once. But that was the last time I would ever let her into the kitchen.

I heard him sigh, "Boomerang is only trained for war, Katara, I can't expect you to understand."

"Oh look!" Aang pointed furiously at a list on the page, "Cake!"

I followed his finger and saw the index for baked goods. Page 745. Great.

As I prepared to lift a huge amount of pages, I could almost hear Sokka's ears perk up at Aang's exclamation.

Here it comes.

"Cake?" He practically ran over to the kitchen and to peer over my shoulder.

I winced at his smell and shoved his shoulder away from me, "Get yourself cleaned up Sokka."

But did he listen? Not when food was involved.

"Why are you making cake? Can you make chocolate?" I saw his gaze flick over the page for more foods that he would deem worthy for his stomach.

"Katara's making a cake for Zuko." Aang explained for me as I tried paging through the book for 745.

If Sokka had been a sky-bison, his mouth would have been able to drop five feet, "WHAT? Why are you making a cake for Zuko? Why only him and not me?" 

He suddenly snapped, retracting from me like I was a snake, "I knew this had something to do with yesterday!"

I sighed loudly, letting him know that I was exasperated, lifting my gaze from the book to roll my eyes at the ceiling. 

Yesterday, Zuko had talked with me a bit about the color scheme for the new room. Apparently Sokka had been spying on us, thinking that it was some sort of intimate conversation

His mind was messed up that way.

Aang looked curiously at Sokka, "What happened yesterday?"

Sokka ignored him, "Katara! I thought you loved me! I should have known this was going to happen!" he practically fell at my knees to hug my waist, "You're abandoning me for our former enemy!! Traitor!"

Oh the drama.

"Sokka, it's Zuko's birthday." Aang was the one who dared to poke my brother in the arm, "We wanted to make him a cake."

Sokka's demeanor changed instantly from one of a betrayed convict, to an ecstatic party planner. He jumped up, "It's his birthday?!"

His happy face made me want to punch it straight off, "Yes, and Aang and I are going to make him something." I diverted my gaze down to the book and heaving the heavy pages, flipped them over.

"To show that we care." Aang added with a winning grin.

Sokka's face lit up, "I care too!" he leaned on the table, the paint on his arms contrasting with his darker skin, "So, what sort of cake are we making?"

"Shouldn't you be working?" I asked, glaring at him out of the corner of my eye.

"Nah, Zuko left like two minutes ago, and Toph's in the garden, I just have been trying to move a huge boulder for the past thirty-minutes." Sokka looked through the recipes, "Oh look, frog cake."

"Moving a boulder with paint?" I asked, knowing that there had to be a better explanation for this, "Are you suddenly a paint-bender now?"

I flipped to the next page.

"Speaking of that, it would have been really helpful if you had helped us paint today." Sokka shot me a look, "Toph tried to bend all the rocks in the paint, but it got out of control and gave me this!"

He pointed at a huge splatter of paint on his right elbow, "Paint is mostly water anyway! It could have turned into a two hour project instead of an all day one if you had helped us out."

I let out a breath, "Well, schedule man, you should have planned for me to work on painting day. It's my day off, so I do what I want."

Sokka looked at me, "Is someone sour today?" he made a fake sad face.

I stuck out my tongue. Hey, he was the one who made my day off on painting day. I flipped the page again.

:::::::::

Sorry for the abrupt stop, I had to split it in half so it wouldn't be so long. :P