Born Beneath An Angry Star

11. Like Father, Like Son, Like Hell

Zuko had fallen asleep with the happy memories of Katara's kiss still fresh in his mind. It had been the most amazing kiss that he'd ever had, not that he had many kisses, but even if he had, his first kiss with Katara would have topped them all. He still wasn't sure how he'd gotten a girl as amazing as her to be his girlfriend. She was beautiful, brave and kind. Her forgiveness felt like a reward that someone with a past as shameful as his didn't deserve.

For so much of his life he had been lonely. He'd always had a hard time communicating with people, yet he found it so easy to talk to Katara. Even when they had not been friends. Even when his words were knotted up inside of him and he struggled to unknot them to tell her what he meant she could figure what it was he was trying to say. 

The more surprising part to him was that he could figure Katara out. He could understand her and he could be on her level of communication. He never knew a relationship could feel or be so supportive. He couldn't believe that he was the other half of a happy and functional couple.

When Zuko woke up all he could think about was how his days of leading a double life were back. He thought he was over with that kind of lifestyle when he'd given up being the Blue Spirit, but his relationship with Katara had become the new mask he was forced to hide behind. It bothered him. 

It bothered him the way everyone always felt the need to coddle Aang. It bothered him that Aang would let his feelings for Katara supersede his duties as the Avatar. He had loved Mai, he still did, he just wasn't in love with her, but when he had been in love with her he'd been willing to give up his relationship with her to end the war. There were only three days until Sozin's comet came and Aang still acted as if learning firebending were optional.

None of the others seemed particularly worried either. Of course they all had the luxury of not knowing what his father was really like or truly capable of. He touched the scar on his face. His friends and his girlfriend still didn't know how he gotten that scar. They didn't know that his father had given it to him. None of them had been there as he screamed in pain while his father watched him writhing around in agony on the palace floor. No one knew that it was his uncle and not his father who had finally called for the medic.

Zuko didn't plan on telling them either. He wasn't exactly ashamed of his scars origins, but the pitying looks from his friends would be more than he could bare. Reliving that moment in his life would be worse through his friends eyes. When he asked his uncle how bad his scar was he had said not that bad, but one look into his uncle's eyes and Zuko knew it was worse than anything he could have possibly imagined.

Zuko sat up in his bed and stretched and yawned. Knowing that Katara was on the other side of the door got him out of bed faster than usual. After showering and dressing he opened his bedroom door just as Katara was stepping out of her room. He smiled at her. Giving her the bedroom across from his was both the smartest and stupidest thing he'd done in a while.

Katara smiled back at him. "Good morning."

"Hi, did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Very well, and you.?"

"Like a baby."

"Good to hear." Katara looked over his shoulder and into his room. "Can I see your bedroom before the others wake up?"

"What?" Zuko had started to step out into the hallway, but missed the door completely and slammed into the door frame.

"Sorry, are you OK?" Katara asked.

"I'm fine." He grunted. He'd possibly shattered his skull, but he was fine.

"I just meant your bedroom is one of the rooms in your house that I wanted to see but didn't get to see."