#zutaramonth2022

[zutarabender]

@zutaramonth day 28: Catching Feelings

---

"Zuko?"

Between the cool summer breeze and the warmth of Appa's fur, Zuko had been lulled into a restful state, but he couldn't quite sleep. Katara's whisper cut through the night, and one look at her told Zuko that she, too, was still reeling down from the stress of the last few days.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Yes, Zuko. I'm fine. Listen..." She shuffled, turning around to face him and snuggling deeper into Appa's fur. "I know you're angry at us for not doing enough to prepare for the fight, and I'm really sorry. I just... The days in Ember Island... They were some of the happiest days of my life. I wanted to thank you for that."

Zuko wanted to argue; they were in the middle of a war. But Katara always had been in the middle of a war. And it had been glorious days. Lazy mornings in the house, fun beach afternoons, loud evenings out in town. Group hugs, shared meals, long talks over a campfire.

"I'm not angry." He wasn't anymore, at least. It was almost embarrassing in retrospect. Especially knowing how much those days of relative peace had meant to her. "Katara, I..."

There were too many ways that sentence could go. He could say that he had been happy, too, training, resting, spending time with his friends. He could say that he hadn't done all that much, really. He could say he would do anything to make her happy.

The words got caught in his throat. They were too little. They were too much.

"You don't have to say anything," Katara said after a short pause, smiling. "I just wanted you to know."

"I... I'm happy. Here, now. Despite everything."

And again, thoughts overwhelmed him. He wanted to thank her, too. He wanted to tell her how humbled he was by her forgiveness, how glad he was that they were allies. He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him.

"The calm before the storm," Katara agreed.

"Katara, if... when we win the war, we should..."

They should go back to the beach house and spend more happy days together. They should celebrate, and rebuild a peaceful world. They should keep in touch and remain friends, or...

Zuko never finished his thought, and Katara didn't push it.

Long after they'd said their goodnights, long after Katara's breath had evened out, Zuko still looked into the stars. When the war was over, this is what he wanted. Nighttime conversations under the moonlight, just the two of them. Just the two...

Oh.

#zutaramonth #zutara month #zutaramonth2022 #zutara month 2022 #zutara #zuko #katara #my stuff

[cynical-mystic]

ZKMonth22 Day 30: Denial

Katara went to Zuko’s room before the coronation to make sure he was healing properly. This is what she told herself; she was actually just going because she wanted to see him before he took on the persona of the Fire Lord. She didn’t know how, but she knew it would change things between them.

Just as she rounded the corner to Zuko’s room, she saw someone else, someone with dark hair and a dark robe, slip into the room before she could. Somewhere deep in her bones, she knew she was too late. For what, she had no idea, but something in her broke when she saw the tails of the other girl’s robe disappear into Zuko’s room.

She found she couldn’t help herself; she creeped over to the door, straining to hear what the two were saying.

When the girl, obviously Mai, demanded Zuko never break up with her again, it felt like the floor had been pulled out from under her. Before she could reveal herself, she clutched one hand to her mouth and slipped away. Her feet took her to the garden Zuko had shown her, the one where he’d fed turtle-ducks with his mother and had been pleased to find they were still there.

Finally, once she was alone, her legs gave out, causing her to crash to her knees at the edge of the water. She stared at her reflection in the pool and ached.

Later, when her marriage to Aang was falling apart and Zuko’s relationship with Mai had somehow survived and thrived for over a decade, Katara couldn’t help but ache. For so long she’d shoved it away, refusing to let it affect her relationship with Aang and upset their family dynamic, but when Aang began to turn away from her the few nights he was even home, the pain in the depths of her heart reared its ugly head and forced her to pay attention to it.

When the letter from Zuko came, her heart leapt; when she broke its seal and scanned the first few lines, her heart sank. She packed up Bumi and Kya, as she refused to leave them in the negligent care of the Air Nomads on Airbender Island, and went to the Caldera as quickly as she could.

She was almost too late.

When she got there, sending Bumi and Kya with a servant to their room, she found Zuko in his, the door open, him kneeling next to the bed Mai was laying on, their baby crying a room over with its now-mandatory wet nurse. The sobs coming from Zuko were more heart-wrenching than anything Katara had ever heard before.

She rushed to Mai’s side, pulling water from her pouch, covering her hands with it and beginning her examination. Zuko ignored her, head on his arms, weeping into the immaculate bedspread. When she realized she was just in time, Katara took a deep breath and called on the one ability only she could perform, the one she’d convinced Aang not to outlaw because to outlaw it would be to publicly reveal its existence: bloodbending.

Katara felt for the blood that was still ceasing to flow in Mai’s veins and tugged, stopping the bleeding by healing her, pushing her heart, forcing it to beat, praying it would work. Hoping the slight woman had enough blood left to sustain her, that she’d eaten something during labor that would lend her body the strength it needed. She worked the blood through Mai’s body for several agonizing minutes before she felt the other woman’s heart begin to beat on its own.

Katara breathed a sigh of relief, but didn’t stop working. From a different pouch at her waist she pulled a tincture she kept for these situations. It consisted of manjistha, olive leaves, and garlic. She unstoppered the bottle and bent a few drops from the concentrated mixture, holding them in the air with one hand while with the other she opened Mai’s mouth and lifted her tongue to bend the drops there, where they’d enter the bloodstream the fastest. As Katara helped the tincture work its way into Mai’s blood, the other woman coughed and began to breathe, but remained unconscious.

At the edge of her awareness Katara saw Zuko shoot up, but she focused on moving the medicine through Mai’s blood and making sure no infections lingered in her blood.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Katara deemed Mai to be stable and gave her a different tincture to keep her asleep so she could heal.

“Katara,” Zuko’s voice snapped her attention to him, as it always had.

“Yes?” she asked, tucking her bottles back into their pouch and not looking at him.

She was aware, of course, of what she’d just done. What she could now never hope to have, even if it would have been in the distant future.

“Thank you.” The sincerity and relief in his voice ripped through her.

All Katara could do was nod and leave the room to check on her children.

inspired by the following poem:

#zutara #zutara month #zutara month 2022 #zutara month april 2022 #zkmonth #zkmonth22 #zutaramonth #zutaramonth2022 #fanfic #zutara fanfic #tw pregnancy complications #trigger: pregnancy complications

[apipuff]

Day two: Cave of two lovers.

I thought quality time as a couple would be more romantic inside a cave.

Happy day two!!

@zutaramonth

#zutara month 2022 #zutaramonth #zutara month #zutara #zuko #atla #katara #zk #zutara fanart #atla fanart #zk fanart #katara fanart #art #digital art #zuko x katara #zutaramonth2022 #avatar #illustration #artists on tumblr #avatar the last airbender #atla katara #atla zuko #a lot of feelings #cave of two lovers #Day Two: Cave of Two Lovers

[sokkastyles]

Zutara Month Day 8: Chief Katara

Hakoda passes in his sleep in the snow hut Katara had built for him. The snowfall is soft and light, the sun reflecting off the white-blanketed ground making everything seem brighter, as if the world were spirit-touched. Perhaps it is, on this day.

Grief in the Southern Water Tribe is a public affair. Her people believe that it is not right to keep these things unexpressed. But Katara is so used to living with grief, that silent companion. There was no room for expressions of grief when her mother died. Just because things are different now doesn’t change the guilt of it, and it seems wrong to her that she should cry for her father in a time of peace, when the sun is shining and reflecting off the snow, at a time when the world should be brighter.

Sokka had gone off to rebuild Kyoshi Island with Suki, and then there were other things to do. Engineering school in the Earth Kingdom, technological wonders to discover forged by the newly allied Earth and Fire. They were going to change the world, her brother said.

It is changed already.

Yet so much is still the same. The same grief sits within her heart, although there is room for much more there, now. More than what that lonely girl could handle, back then. There is joy, and love, and hope.

Zuko never sheds a tear. Whereas Katara’s heart is awash with her grief, the same emotion in Zuko sits like a stone. She can see it in his face, the way he schools his expression, a tactic he’d learned in childhood.

Katara does everything she can to make herself busy, including taking up the mantle that her father’s absence left. There is no time for grief when there is work to be done.

It’s Zuko who visits the stone where her father’s body lies buried, every day of the prescribed mourning period. Her husband who she has never seen cry, whose own father burned and scorned him. She sees him standing on the horizon with the mourners, sometimes kneeling among them, into the day and after the stars come out. From a distance, she hears his voice leading them in prayer for her father’s spirit, performing the rituals as if he were born to them.

He does it for her, she realizes. Not only because he loved Hakoda - for there will always be that part of her husband that clings to a father. She suspects the real reason lies in those moments, when he comes in from the cold to find her in council, or writing letters to the North or the Earth King (bearing her seal, the mark of the brave) to gently kiss her on the forehead and say, with a smile, “How are we going to save the world today, Chief?”

#zutara #zuko #katara #zutara month #zutaramonth2022 #day 8: chief katara

[pink-bird-30]

Zutara Month Day 1: Fire Lady Katara

Hello All!  Welcome back to Zutara month!!!!!  I'm excited to write again, it seems like it's been months since the last time I've taken a moment to write something.

I will be participating in some of these prompts for Zutara month.  I did decided that some of the prompts are just not up my alley and I personally rather sit those days out.  I will try my best this year to keep up, but it is also my birthday month so I will be rather busy.

(You can also see my full collection of works for this month on my FF.net )

As always, Happy Reading!!!

Zutara Month Day 1: Fire Lady Katara

“Katara!” Zuko’s voice rings out across their room. It was the second to last night she would be staying in their room before their wedding and she was hiding out in the washroom hoping Zuko leaves her alone. Her entire day was full of formal Fire Nation education on how to be a ‘proper’ Fire Lady. But what the Fire Sages were unaware of was Katara’s change in title once she and Zuko wed.

Since their engagement six months ago, and Zuko presented her with a beautiful betrothal necklace made of sea glass from Ember Island, the Fire Sages were adamant she learned how to be a proper Fire Lady.

But Katara wasn’t Fire Nation, she was Water Tribe through and through, and she wanted her culture to be part of her life in the Fire Nation. Over the past few months, with the help from Uncle Iroh, Zuko and Katara were able to decide upon a new title that suited Katara.

“I’m okay, I’ll be out in a minute!” She rested her head against the wall for a moment, gathering her thoughts.

“Katara, what’s wrong?” his voice sounded closer. She smiled without thought. Even with these racing thoughts in her head her soon to be husband’s voice always seemed to calm her down.

“I-“ she sighs. “I’m afraid the Fire Sages will have a conniption once they hear my new title.” Zuko appears in the door way, his overly grown hair resting against his shoulders, his crown tossed elsewhere when he entered their room. This was just Zuko, not the Fire Lord. Her Zuko. He reaches out to caress her cheek, tilting her head to look up at him.

“They will have to accept it regardless, you still outweigh them in title.” Katara raises a brow. Zuko rolls his eyes, “Okay, yes through marriage but you are still Katara, Master Waterbender, they should be terrified.”

She steps closer to him, wrapping her arms around him, “I know, but I’m still scared the people will be unwelcoming to me.”

Zuko shakes his head, “You know they already adore you, and if there is anyone that has an issue with their new Lunar Queen, then they will have to take it up with me.” He kisses her forehead affectionately. Katara lets out a giggle and cuddles closer to his chest.

“Hmmm, Lunar Queen. Never thought I’d hear that in my life.”

Zuko rests his chin upon her head, “Get used to hearing it publicly, and not just here in the bedroom.”

She slaps his chest, “Zuko!” her eyes widening as she looks up at him.

He lets out a hearty laugh and captures her lips in a deep kiss.

“C’mon, my Queen. Let’s go to bed.”

Katara rolls her eyes, but follows him nonetheless looking forward to being his wife in two days’ time.

#zutaramonth2022 #zutara #zuko #katara #zutara month day 1 fire lady katara #zutara month 2022

[darth-rain]

Zutara One Shot

    They were complete opposites. Katara was (mostly) always a by the book gal strictly abiding by the rules and with an unwavering grip on her moral compass. And Zuko... he was whatever the opposite of that was. Or at least, that is what Katara now saw him as. He was just getting back in touch with the way of goodness after losing his way, and while he pledged to himself that he would be good from now on, it didn’t mean it was easy or that he would be great at it right away. But he was trying, and damn her good heart, she already felt herself wanting to be understanding and give him a chance to be good like the rest of them. She wouldn’t tell him that though... no. She would never, and she would be sure he knew how displeased she was to have to be in his presence. 

   “You know I’m only being civil because Aang thinks it’s the right thing to do, not because that’s what I think.” Her arms crossed, while her eyes watched him skeptically. It was hard to trust him after he betrayed her before.     “I know... you’ve made that clear.” Zuko replied softly, doing everything he could to keep his composure. “But it’s okay, I understand.” His voice had this rasp to it that sounded strangely endearing and sweet, which annoyed Katara.     “Do you?” She answered accusingly. When she was met with only one arched eyebrow she scoffed. “You know what I am talking about. In the cave. I trusted you and you--”     “Katara,” Zuko interrupted, stepping closer to her, but Katara stepped back, standing her guard. “I told you... I lost my way.” He went on. “I thought I needed my father’s approval, to regain my honor but in the end, I realized it wasn’t what I wanted at all. I regret it.” He spoke.    “Well, you don’t get to do that! You don’t get to just show back up and decide you changed your mind and that everything would just be okay, because it’s not.” She didn’t realize how emotional she got until she felt her lip quiver. “Aang almost died and to think... I was ready to heal you.” Her teeth clenched as she bit those last words out, and as intended by her sharp words, it felt like a knife to Zuko’s heart. 

   “I know.” He bowed his head, his eyes closing, but quickly opening to find her deep blue ones. He stepped closer again. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, you don’t have to. But I hope that one day I can show you that I am sincere.”     Katara glanced down at their proximity, which was closer than she wanted but she wanted to show him that she wasn’t afraid, so she remained in place. “Well, don’t expect me to wait around watching you do good things until I decide to trust you, only to get stabbed in the back AGAIN.” She sighed and looked down at her feet, before closing her eyes. She was realizing that she needed to get ahold of herself. She didn’t like being angry, but around him, after everything, she couldn’t help it and her bitterness flowed out in her words like a river of hate.

   Zuko took advantage of her looking away and made himself so close to her that when she looked up again, she nearly swayed against his chest. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. She’d never seen him that close-- never got such a good look at his handsome features. His soft, smooth lips and golden eyes, even with that scar, they were captivating. “Katara. After everything, you still treated me with kindness... it took me this long to be good, but you have always been, despite everything you’ve been through. and the truth is... you inspire me.” He spoke tenderly. 

   Katara was struggling internally between pushing him away and wanting to believe every word he said. “R-really...?” The words slipped out of her mouth and her hand went up to gently tuck a piece of her brown hair behind her ear. Damn it, why was she always so quick to assume the best of people? She had to keep her composure, even with the handsome fire prince standing so close and searching her eyes delicately. Her doe-eyed stare quickly turned back into a soft glare. Whatever trick he was trying to pull, she wasn’t going to fall for it.

“Well... good, then. You ought to learn from someone, because clearly you don’t know how to do it yourself.” She grimaced and tried to fill the air with familiar bickering to push away the strange new tension between them, something she wasn’t sure was actually there or not. 

   Zuko took notice of the way her eyes scanned his features when she looked up at him. It was as if she seemed to be actually seeing him for the first time. This made his lips curve into a soft grin, which only irritated Katara more.     She could hardly believe it. She was insulting him and yet, he smiled. “Why are you smiling?” She snapped, turning her body halfway to the side, as if not wanting to look at him anymore. 

 Zuko wasn’t that great at romance, he just knew that the look in Katara’s eyes when he got close to her meant something, and he wanted to find out if it was real.     He gently took her shoulders to turn her toward him again, not in any mean way, but to Katara it was all the same as she tried to pull herself out of his grasp, not knowing what he was trying to do. “Let go of me.” She snapped again, remembering when he grabbed her arms once before with such anger in his eyes. However, this time, his eyes were soft and gentle.

   With Katara facing him again, Zuko pressed his body against hers and in seconds, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers delicately.

 This took Katara by surprise... no, surprise was an understatement. Her body froze up in pure shock and her eyes closed instinctively. After a few seconds she started to realize that it actually felt good, and she allowed herself to be swept into it as her lips moved against his and she whimpered softly. Zuko felt her kissing back, so he parted his lips slightly to deepen the kiss and exhaled deeply into the kiss. In response, she inhaled deeply, taking in his scent which was undeniably intoxicating. His body felt nice and strong against hers and his lips were soft and so kissable. It was different from kissing Aang... Instead of fumbling nervousness from someone younger than her, Zuko had such mature passion in his kissing. It was an intensity she never felt before. An intensity that made her want to hold onto his shirt and kiss him for hours. Then, she felt Zuko’s hands press against her lower back to push her closer against him and for a moment, Katara completely forgot who she was kissing. Zuko, the man she wanted to hate. When reality crashed into her again, she shoved him away. Zuko’s body went from being pressed against her to being shoved a foot away. 

  “What? I thought you liked it.” Zuko almost whined. 

  Katara blushed and she couldn’t believe what just happened or what came over her. “I... did. And that’s the problem!” She said with exasperation. 

   Zuko blinked at her. “If you liked it, then how is that a problem?” 

   Katara groaned as if he asked the dumbest question possible. “Because! It makes no sense! I should hate you. You made our lives miserable and hurt us, and besides, I never... you know... like liked you before so... I- I don’t understand. and the others, what would they think? God, I am so stupid.” 

   Zuko listened to all of her reasons and shrugged. “Doesn’t matter what they think.” He commented without thinking much of it.

   This comment enraged her so much that she nearly regretted kissing him back. “Of COURSE it matters what they think, what is wrong with you?!” She raised her voice at him. 

   Zuko cringed slightly, realizing he was digging himself into a deeper hole. “You’re right. I am sorry.” He sighed and looked down at her. “I know it won’t be easy to regain your trust. But I will do whatever it takes. I am ready for a new chapter in my life, and to help the avatar take down my father once and for all.” He said proudly and sincerely. “And for what it’s worth...” He added, earning eye contact with Katara as she looked up curiously. “I am glad you liked it.” He smiled a bit and Katara blushed softly. She could still feel the feeling of his lips on hers. 

/ I am new to Avatar and found myself shipping these two and randomly got the urge to make a fanfic, so... I doubt anyone will even see this but in case someone did, I hope you enjoy it and if any Avatar TLA fans read this and want any more I’d be happy to.  P.S , i write a lot but this is honestly the first fanfic I’ve made in a really long time so I’m sorry if it is a bit “meh” 💕

#Zutara #Avatar the Last Airbender #katara #prince zuko #zuko x katara #ATLA #avatar #Zutara fanfic #Zuko/Katara fanfic #Zuko/Katara #Zuko x Katara fanfic #ATLA fanfic #I am so nervous to post this #if I edited anymore I might go insane #zutaramonth2022 #Zutara month 2022 #Zutara month #Zutaramonth

[bidisasterforzutara]

Happy zutara month!! 💜

So happy to once again be part of such an amazingly talented and supportive fandom ❤️💙

#zutara #zutaramonth2022 #zutaramonth #love you all

[asdasdfangirl]

Day three: soulmates 'cause feeding turtle ducks is quite an important activity between soulmates. <33 @zutaramonth #zutara month 2022 #zutara month #zutara month #zutara #zuko #atla #katara #zk #zutara fanart #atla fanart #zk fanart #katara fanart #art #digital art #zuko x katara #zutaramonth2022 #avatar #illustration #artists on tumblr #avatar the last airbender #atla katara #atla zuko #artedigital #atlafanart #look at the turtle ducks omg

[zutarabender]

@zutaramonth day 29: Avatar Katara/Zuko

---

"Remember when you tried to drown me?"

It was an odd thought to have during a short break in his training. Considering they were in the open seas, Katara could always decide to go back to that idea. It still amazed him that she was willing to trust him with all the knowledge she had, and work with him patiently and kindly through difficult training sessions like this one.

"Your ship, your Fire Nation ship—" she pointed at the ship's flag "—was trying to breach the Northern Water Tribe's defenses. What was I supposed to do?"

Yes, it had been naive to simply show up in the Northern Water Tribe searching for a teacher. Even when he'd managed to get across to their leaders that he was the Avatar, he was still threatened, and turned away. Of course they didn't know. His exile wasn't common knowledge outside the Fire Nation. Even less known was the fact that he was the Avatar. It was a secret. His father had told him to only come back after mastering the elements.

With his uncle, he'd mastered Fire.

In the Spirit World, with the help of Avatar Aang, he'd mastered Air.

With Katara, he was mastering far more than Water.

Zuko would come back to the Fire Nation after having full command of the elements - just not in the way his father had hoped. With Katara at his side, and passing judgment on his crimes.

"I'm not saying I blame you for trying to kill me. I'm just glad you didn't."

Zuko had been turned away from the Northern Water Tribe. But to his amazement, Katara had followed. All she had asked in return for teaching him was food, shelter, and safe passage back to the South Pole.

In hindsight, her trust had been reckless, fueled by hope rather than facts. It had been a hunch, she'd said. He was the Avatar, far away from home, begging on his knees, and determined to end the war. She'd chosen to believe him because she'd wanted to, not because he'd done anything to deserve it.

"I'm happy you're alive, Zuko," she said. "And not just because you're the Avatar."

That last assertion made him lightheaded, his heart leaping out of his chest.

"Are we friends, then?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Katara laughed, her pretty face coming alive with joy. "Yes, Zuko. Of course we're friends."

#zutaramonth #zutara month #zutaramonth2022 #zutara month 2022 #zutara #zuko #katara #my stuff

[cynical-mystic]

ZKMonth22 Day 29: Avatar Katara

“Excellent work, Prince Zuko,” Fire Lord Ozai said, looking down on the kneeling form of the son he’d banished not that long ago. “You made quick work of what seemed an insurmountable task. Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”

Zuko nodded and was dismissed from the throne room, head reeling.

Somehow he’d managed to capture the Avatar, a young woman from the Southern Water Tribe. Despite reports that all the waterbenders from the South had been captured or killed, Zuko had had a sneaking suspicion that that was where the Avatar was, powers dormant until needed.

When he’d raided her village, she’d needed them, using a waterbending move to shoot fire at him, shocking everyone in the vicinity including herself. Except him. She’d done just what he’d hoped one of them would.

Before any of them could react any more than stare in stunned silence, Zuko had tackled the girl, putting the cuffs on her before she could deflect or retaliate, and pulling her to her feet by the chain.

“Thank you for your contribution to the war effort,” he’d said to the gathered tribespeople. One of them, a boy not much older than the girl in chains, surged forward, but was shoved to the ground by one of Zuko’s guards.

“Katara!” he’d cried as Zuko pulled the girl away.

The next morning, Zuko woke up to a servant with a scroll on a platter, sealed with his father’s seal. He sat up, took the scroll, and dismissed the servant before splitting it open.

When he read his father’s order, his eyes widened.

It was his job to break the girl’s spirit? How on earth was he supposed to do that?

He tossed the scroll aside and then thought better of it, tucking it in a hiding place he knew Azula wouldn’t be able to find before pulling on his every day robes and stepping out into the hallway.

Getting to the specially made dungeon wasn’t difficult, of course. Zuko had been present when it was dedicated, almost four years ago now. Back when the previous Avatar had accidentally died in the altercation meant to capture him, Ozai realized they needed to find the new one and keep them alive.

The difficult part was going to be doing whatever needed to be done to break this girl, make it so she didn’t want to leave or fight. Maybe even work for them, he guessed, if he could accomplish such a thing.

With a sigh, Zuko signaled for the guard to unlock the door and let him in.

Unfortunately for Zuko but definitely fortunately for Katara, he decided in the moment between him being in the hallway and him being in her cell that the best course of action would be to get to know her. Act like he was on her side. Like he was trustworthy.

Unfortunately for Zuko, this led to him learning a lot about her and beginning to actually like her. Maybe even see the errors of the Fire Nation’s ways.

Fortunately for Katara, this led to him eventually deciding to let her out, telling his father that she was harmless when in actuality he wanted to get both of them out of the capital.

It didn’t hurt that he’d turned to his uncle for advice on how to handle the Avatar, either.

Their escape from the capital was so spontaneous they hadn’t even known when it was going to happen. Iroh bundled them out of the palace in the middle of the night and onto the ship Zuko had used to find her, the one Iroh owned and crewed. They immediately set sail for the Southern Water Tribe to retrieve Katara’s brother, make apologies to her people, and come up with a plan for them to retreat deeper into the South Pole because once they were discovered missing that would be the first place the Fire Nation would go. Thankfully Katara was able to waterbend them through the ocean so that they traveled twice as quickly as they would have otherwise.

Once Sokka was on board, figuratively and literally, and the rest of their tribe safe, they set a course for the Earth Kingdom and a new ship.

To Zuko’s surprise, when they were on the open water again, Katara kissed him on the cheek. She walked away, leaving him stunned with his hand on his cheek, wondering why she’d done it. He’d been the one who’d kidnapped her in the first place, after all.

“It looks like apologetic action works wonders with Water Tribe members,” his uncle mused.

#zutara #zutara month #zutara month 2022 #zutara month april 2022 #zkmonth #zkmonth22 #zutaramonth #zutaramonth2022 #fanfic #zutara fanfic #tw kidnapping #trigger: kidnapping

[cynical-mystic]

ZKMonth22 Day 28: Catching Feelings

If he were to be asked when he fell in love with Katara, he wouldn’t be able to give a specific answer. It could have been when she pushed his sister into the mud on the playground because Azula was being her usual cruel self, even at the age of 7. It could have been when she’d bandaged him up after he’d fallen out of a tree in middle school and somehow only managed to cut his arm open. It could have been in high school, when he watched every boy in both of their classes try to ask her out. It could have been in college, when he had to say goodbye to her at the end of every summer and it was the worst thing he’d ever had to do.

It could have been just now, when she told him she was pregnant with Jet’s baby and didn’t know what to do because she’d just escaped his abuse and come to live with Zuko.

It was probably all of those moments, or any one of them. It didn’t really matter.

What mattered was Katara. Always Katara.

#zutara #zutara month #zutara month 2022 #zutara month april 2022 #zkmonth #zkmonth22 #zutaramonth #zutaramonth2022 #fanfic #zutara fanfic #tw abuse mention #trigger: abuse mention

[cynical-mystic]

ZKMonth22 Bonus Day 31: Bridge

i was very upset when this prompt wasn't chosen as i was very excited about it and had already written for it

based on Tessa and Jem's reunion from Cassandra Clare's novels

you found me

Katara hadn’t seen Zuko in a couple of years. She’d sequestered herself away with the Iron Sisters in the Adamant Citadel to help with the war effort. As a result, she hadn’t been able to make their yearly meetings. They’d been meeting on Blackfriar’s Bridge once a year since 1879 and had only missed a handful of meetings since.

Today, though, was different. Today the Mortal War was over and Katara finally felt comfortable leaving the Adamant Citadel to meet with the boy she should have married all those years ago. Even though he’d become a Silent Brother to keep from dying, and subsequently forfeited his ability to marry her, she still loved him. And she always would, just as she loved Jet, the boy who’d loved her until he died. The boy who had been Zuko’s parabatai and fought desperately to help his best friend stay alive. The boy who had cried for Zuko when they thought he’d died and then again when they realized what Zuko becoming a Silent Brother would mean.

Thoughts of Jet used to make her curl up in a ball and weep, but it had been so long now that she just looked back with love and a touch of sadness. She’d been able to watch Jet grow old and be with him until he died, but she would never die. Watching him go where she couldn’t follow had left her all but catatonic for several years after his death. The only one who could understand what she was going through was Aang, a warlock who had lived longer than she had.

A gust of wind trying to snatch her scarf from her returned her to the present, and she continued along the bridge as she adjusted it, looking for the robes Zuko had worn since taking his vow of silence.

There was a young man standing where they usually met, and at first Katara was confused but then he shifted his weight and she gasped, the flood of memories almost knocking her to the ground.

Could it be–?

She found herself quickening her pace, almost running, unsure of what she was seeing but desperately hoping it wasn’t a dream.

Finally, he heard her, and he turned.

She crashed into him, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face into his sweater. As though no time had passed, he caught her as he always had before. When they were young and (almost) carefree and engaged. When they were planning their wedding and their life together.

“How–?” she choked, trying to hold back the tears.

He held her tighter and buried his face in her hair.

“That’s a long story,” he said, his chest rumbling with a stifled laugh. “A story of Carstairs and Herondales and Blackthorns, if you’d believe it.”

Katara pulled back from him and studied his face, drinking in his features. The scar he’d gotten when his parents were killed spanned from his left eye to his left ear. His hair was black and soft. His eyes were golden, looking at her as though she were the only thing in the world. She reached up and put her hand on his scarred cheek, running her thumb over his bottom lip.

“You’re really… you again?”

“Yes,” Zuko breathed.

Suddenly, she was no longer in his arms and he was a step away from her. She dropped her hand, confused.

“Katara,” he started, his voice strangled, “I know it’s been decades. Almost two centuries. And I know you loved Jet and he loved you and you had a beautiful family together, and I know we never thought this day could ever come, but…”

Zuko stepped forward and gently took her hands in his.

“Katara,” he breathed. “I know you loved me once, but I need to know. Is it possible… could it be possible that you still love me?”

So many emotions were rushing through her at once that she couldn’t speak. As he’d said, she never thought a day could come when Zuko wouldn’t be on the brink of death and they could be together, fully together, for a lifetime. In the back of her mind she remembered the agony of losing Jet but she ignored it. As Aang had said, the memories she’d shared with Jet were more than worth the pain of his death. All of those years ago she would have changed anything, everything, to get this opportunity.

For her, nothing had changed.

She squeezed Zuko’s hands as tightly as she could.

“Zuko,” she said, “I never stopped loving you. Not for a moment.”

Katara reached up and pulled down her scarf to show him that she was still wearing the necklace that had been his mother’s, the one he’d given them for their engagement.

His eyes fell to the pendant and she watched as his expression changed to wonder.

“Now the real question is,” she said slowly, desperately wanting to and not wanting to know the answer, “whether you still love me.”

Zuko’s eyes snapped to hers.

“Katara, I’ve loved you for more lifetimes than I can count,” he said. “Nothing has changed how I feel for you.”

She took a step closer to him, putting his arms around her waist and hers around his neck again.

“That’s settled then,” she said, smiling more than she had in a long time, and when she kissed Zuko for the first time in decades, she was pleased to find he was smiling as well.

#zutara #zutara month #zutara month 2022 #zutara month april 2022 #zkmonth #zkmonth22 #zutaramonth #zutaramonth2022 #fanfic #zutara fanfic

[apipuff]

Day 3: Soulmates

Just a few words....

The feeling that unites us is the same.

@zutaramonth

#zutara month 2022 #zutaramonth #zutara month #zutara #zuko #atla #katara #zk #zutara fanart #atla fanart #zk fanart #katara fanart #art #digital art #zuko x katara #zutaramonth2022 #avatar #illustration #artists on tumblr #avatar the last airbender #atla katara #atla zuko #a lot of feelings #accessories #soulmates #true love #Day Three: Soulmates #catacombs #crystal catacombs #childhood trauma

[zutarabender]

@zutaramonth day 24: Arranged Marriage

---

It could be worse, Katara was telling herself. It could be worse.

Ever since she was a little girl, Katara knew she'd eventually be whisked away to a palace far away from her beloved home. Every girl wanted to be a princess, but few of them wanted to be married by proxy to a complete stranger that they would only meet when they turned eighteen. That had been Katara’s life as the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe.

She was eighteen, and terrified.

She’d expected an older man, but the prince she'd just met, her husband, couldn't be much older than her. His face, far from stern and austere, was expressive and hid nothing. He called her Master Katara and complimented her beauty, and the scar she'd heard so much about wasn't a source of terror but compassion.

It could be much, much worse.

Prince Zuko's shoulders were stiff. Words were said hurriedly and skittishly. He seemed as wary and nervous as Katara felt. And yet, there was no relief to her mistrust; that unassuming veneer could always hide something sinister. They walked alone, but Katara was almost glad they were in the palace gardens. They were most certainly being watched from a distance.

"I like coming here when I need some time alone," the prince was saying as they made their way slowly toward the gazebo in the courtyard. "I hope you'll like practicing your bending here. I'll make sure no one bothers you."

Katara frowned.

"Would it really be okay for me to practice waterbending so openly?"

"Why wouldn't it be? A princess should be able to defend herself." He shrugged, as if the matter hadn’t been one Katara had lost sleep over for the past ten years. "I'm only going to ask that you don't disturb the turtleducks."

"Turtleducks?"

Prince Zuko opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped for a second as a flash of an idea crossed his eyes.

"You've never seen a turtleduck, have you?" When Katara shook her head, his face lit up in the first real smile she'd seen on him. He grabbed her hand to guide her toward the lake. She could only let him, startled by how warm his touch was, how gently he was leading her even in his excitement. "Look."

Now that Prince Zuko brought her attention to the water, Katara could see the creatures. There was a lone turtleduck in their proximity, but it was still too far away for her curiosity to be satisfied. Without thinking twice, then, Katara knelt down and extended her arms to bend the lake's surface, bringing the turtleduck closer in a steady flow. Prince Zuko stood still, his gaze alternating between her and the water.

"Is that...? Are you doing that?" He blurted out, so unabashedly awestruck that Katara couldn't contain a grin.

Once the turtleduck was at the edge of the lake, it quacked at her, but it didn't swim away. It was adorable, round and fluffy, wary but curious about the strange girl that could manipulate the water underneath. And once it was clear it wouldn’t swim away, Prince Zuko sat down next to Katara, bringing a finger to the turtleduck's head to pet it.

The tension that had gripped Katara began to let go, and she allowed herself the freedom of examining the prince more closely. He had a handsome face, twinkling golden eyes, a kind smile, and a warm demeanor that no one could have prepared her for. This was far from the Prince Zuko of her nightmares.

"You really care for these turtleducks, don't you?"

"Yeah. They remind me of my mother. She left the palace when I was a kid. She... she wasn't really happy here." Saying those words seemed to embolden him; he took a deep breath, eyes piercing Katara's, and kept going before she could interrupt. "Listen, I... I know you didn't ask to be here, but I really don't want you to hate me. If there's anything..."

He trailed off, and for a minute, Katara had no words. The knots in her chest were coming undone little by little. Pieces were falling into place. In a few sentences, the prince had revealed everything she needed to know.

"We're in this together, aren't we?" Katara offered him her hand. "I think we can start by becoming friends, Prince Zuko."

The prince breathed out. The tension in his posture was gone. Instead of shaking her hand, he held it tenderly and brought it to his lips, making Katara's heart flutter.

"It would be an honor, Master Katara."

#zutaramonth #zutara month #zutaramonth2022 #zutara month 2022 #zutara #zuko #katara #my stuff #this one took far too long to write lmao

[apipuff]

Instagram

Oh God.! oh no... high anxiety levels :C

But it's done, and I hit the publish button c:

I loved the hashtag zutara since the series began, reading fanarts and seeing beautiful drawings all over the internet, I still remember the ship wars from 2008 to 2013, and I never dared to post anything, because my anxiety and my lack of self-esteem did not allow me to expose my work, I'm still working on it... :D

I speak spanish, so I'm sorry for the grammatical mistakes, I'll make up for it with many zutara draws (wink* :3)

One of my favorite characters is katara, she's a very empathic and strong girl, I hope shown some of their determination in this job.

All Hail Fire Lady Katara!!

Happy zutara month !

Nice to meet you all.

@zutaramonth

#zutara month 2022 #zutaramonth #zutara month #zutara #zuko #atla #katara #zk #zutara fanart #atla fanart #zk fanart #katara fanart #art #digital art #accessories #gold #zuko x katara #zutaramonth2022 #avatar #illustration #artists on tumblr #avatar the last airbender #atla katara #atla zuko #fire lady katara #a lot of feelings

[zutarabender]

@zutaramonth day 27: Tea Shop

---

"Why did you decide to retire here, sir? Why not closer to Zuko?"

This had been bothering Katara for months, especially since Zuko and Mai's break-up. Zuko was lonely. He had made loyal friends and allies in his court, but his letters were still wistful and taciturn. Knowing this, Katara had jumped on the opportunity of representing her family in King Kuei's wedding, knowing that Zuko would be there, but her anxiety hadn't receded. She still hadn't gotten to see him. He'd been in the Royal Palace for hours in a meeting of heads of state.

Katara had come to wait for him at the Jasmine Dragon, and that was where she'd stubbornly stayed. The tea shop had long closed for the day, but old General Iroh was still kind enough to sit with her for a cup of tea before performing all of the closing duties, and was now pondering her question with the gravity it deserved.

"An old man has his dreams too," he said after a long pause. "My nephew has his own path to follow, and he won't think on his own if he expects me to do all the thinking for him. Unfortunately," the man went on with a sigh, "that old habit seems to come back whenever I'm around."

Katara shook her head. This wasn't about the Fire Nation, or honor, or anything royals and nobles concerned themselves with.

"I think he really needs you."

When the old man put down his cup of tea, Katara was surprised to discover that he was smiling.

"Do you wish for your father to be with you all the time, Katara?"

She wanted to say yes, of course she would, but the words got stuck in her throat. After having so much responsibility thrust upon her, after seeing so much of the world, going back to the role of a daughter hadn't been as much of a relief as she'd thought it would. Her father had been glad to make up for lost time, but Katara wasn't the little girl he'd left behind. His form of support, while welcome, wasn't always what she needed. Katara sometimes felt they got along better the more distance there was between them.

"No, I suppose not," she conceded, and decided to drop it. If General Iroh understood her point, he was deliberately avoiding it. Zuko himself never acted sad or resentful over his uncle's choices, so anything else she could say would be overstepping.

"My nephew would be a fool if he let you go. You could make each other very happy."

Katara choked on her tea, coughing furiously and feeling her face grow hot. Where did that come from, now? Had her true feelings been so obvious? It wasn't like she tried to conceal them, not particularly. Zuko was her friend, and deserving of affection. But having the truth so plainly out in the open was a whole new level of terrifying.

"It's not-I mean, sir, Zuko... your nephew... he's, well, great, and all, but..."

The door to the tea shop opened. Zuko stood there in his full royal garb, and Katara could do nothing but stare, her mouth still open from the sentences she'd struggled to get out. It had only been a few months, but his hair had grown longer, his posture more confident. He embodied his role as the Fire Lord with a naturality that astounded her. As focused on him as she was, it was hard to miss the precise moment in which he noticed her. Zuko's face lit up so vividly that Katara's heart melted, her senses tingling, and he walked toward her 

"Katara! It's so good to see you."

Anything she could have said was lost in his embrace. She just held him tight, hoping this gesture would get the right amount of feeling across. Had she dared to open her mouth, Katara would have had no chance of convincing General Iroh of her indifference.

"When did you get to Ba Sing Se?" Zuko was asking her, searching her face for answers to questions he wouldn't voice. "It's a long trip for you. Shouldn't you be resting?"

"No, I'm fine. Got here this morning, got plenty of rest. I... I just came here to see you." Wanting to gloss over after what she'd just said, she gestured toward the empty cups. "We were talking over tea."

"Right," he said with a smile. "Let me get that."

"No, no." General Iroh got up from his seat, cup in hand. "You sit down and rest, Fire Lord Zuko. I'll get back to work."

"Uncle, I-"

"If you want to make yourself useful, please walk Katara to her apartment when she wishes to go. Even in the Inner Ring, a lady cannot be too careful."

As General Iroh walked away, Katara and Zuko exchanged a glance. His cheeks were red, his expression mortified, and his eyes jumped away from hers as if they burned.

Katara's stomach clenched. Zuko knew exactly what his uncle was up to, and they were not going to see the end of it until the old man got his way.

#zutaramonth #zutara month #zutaramonth2022 #zutara month 2022 #zutara #zuko #katara #my stuff