The Art Of Finding Each Other (Zutara)

Nighttime

After Aang and Katara left dinner early to go to the play, everyone else had stayed up by the fireplace, chatting lively about their day.

Zuko felt almost out of place. He wasn't used to not hearing Katara's motherly remarks about how immature Sokka had been during the last council meeting or Aang's scandalous laugh.

It was actually the first time the group wasn't complete during those nighttime laughs. After a week of them, he had become used to the moments they all spent together and it had taken him by surprise to actually miss the usual dynamic so much. He was a little annoyed at Katara and Aang for ditching them to probably go make out in a dark theater.

How childish of them, he thought. How cliché. He caught himself imagining what they were doing and how good of a time they were having...

"Earth to Fire Lord Sparky... Are you listening to us?" Toph's voice interrupted his train of thoughts.

"Sure sure, I'm here." Zuko urged himself to stop being so weird about Aang and Katara's... Date? He didn't even know. He had to stay focused.

"Toph said we should all go to the river tomorrow and relax a little." Mai's eyes felt like daggers sinking down on Zuko's eyes, checking in with him, wondering where his mind was. He put his arm around her shoulder in a reassuring way.

"Eh, sounds good. I have work to do in the morning, but we could go for lunch." Zuko had already started to mentally organize his day.

"Work on a Saturday? Zuko, you have to learn to take a break," Sokka said with a laugh.

"Alright, alright. Do you want to go to the river tomorrow or not?" he asked them.

They all crossed stares and silently approved of the plan.

"I think a picnic will be fun!" Ty Lee seemed already excited.

"I just want to walk on some bare, green land already," Toph grinned.

"Then it's settled, I'll let my guards know so they can prepare everything."

"Guards? Oh right, I guess we are important now." Sokka wasn't used to all the Fire Nation formalities, Zuko thought.

"Oh come on, we don't need a babysitter." Toph liked her freedom, that was for sure.

"It's not a babysitter, it's a precaution. Zuko's right, the war is too recent for now," Suki intervened.

"Guys, it's only gonna be a couple of men carrying our stuff and making sure no one crazy tries to kill us," Mai explained.

"Yeah, there's really no need to make a big deal out of it." Zuko was glad that everyone seemed to accept it.

"We should let Aang and Katara know when they get back," Sokka remarked.

"I want to sleep well tonight so don't count with me for that," Ty Lee rushed to excuse herself.

"Well, it's not like the play is gonna end at sunrise, is it?" Toph asked, looking at Suki.

"Hey, I don't know. Katara didn't tell me," she answered.

"Well, I guess we could tell them at breakfast tomorrow. It's no big deal," Sokka said.

"See? Easier. Now, Toph, why don't you keep telling me about your fights as the Blind Bandit?" Ty Lee seemed certainly glad to be able to sleep and rapidly changed the subject.

The conversation carried on as before, with the plan settled for the next day at the river.

It was later that night. Everyone except for Zuko had already gone to bed. He had just finished looking through some papers so he could leave work earlier the next day. He walked across the palace halls, went through the courtyard, stared at a turtleduck swimming at the pond, and headed towards his room.