Zutara Week Day 4: Cactus Juice

“Just drink it, Zuko.”

“Sokka. I don’t trust you.”

Sokka grinned widely. “Dude. What’s not to trust? It’s just some soup. Katara asked me to bring it over here, because you hadn’t come back for dinner and she was worried about you…or something like that. I stopped listening after a while.”

Zuko shot Sokka a look, but took the cup anyway, letting the soup burn down his throat, warm and…acidic. Still good…as it seemed Katara’s cooking always was…but more acidic than usual. “Hmmm,” Zuko muttered. He stirred the bowl in one hand, his brows furrowed. Sokka burst out laughing.

Zuko immediately regretted drinking the soup. Oh, God. What did Sokka do?!

*****

A few minutes later, Zuko didn’t particularly care what Sokka had done. Because this soup of Katara’s was LUUUUUUURVE.

“Oh, I luuurve you, you pretty soup,” he crooned, holding the long empty bowl. “But I would be hap…hic…happier if I had MORE of you…let’s go beg the lurverly goddess for some more!” Zuko bounded up from the rock he was sitting on, settin off in the direction of the camp.

“Skip! Skip! SKIP!” Zuko screamed, skipping joyfully. After a few feet, however, he tripped over his own foot and ended up with a face full of dirt. He realized skipping wasn’t working well for him.

“Aww, I loved skipping,” he whined, unnoticed tears pricking at his eyes as he got out of the dirt. But then an idea struck him. “Well then…I’ll just DANCE!”

*****

Ten minutes later, Sokka couldn’t breathe. He had never laughed so hard in his life as when he watched Zuko come into the camp doing some freaky version of the MOONWALK.

*****

The moonwalk is really fun, Zuko realized as he danced his way into camp. I should have tried this ages ago. He spotted Katara, who was staring at him with a look of absolute horror on her face. “Oh, Katara! Soup Goddess KATARA! I’ve come to SEE you!” He sang loudly, his own voice wailing in his ears.

Katara took a tentative step towards him, her eyes wide. “…Zuko? What’s…what’s wrong with you?”

“WRONG with me? Why, I have never felt better in my LIFE, Goddess Katara! And it’s all thanks to you and your lurverly soup!” Zuko cackled maniacally, eyes bulging from their sockets. “It was LURVERLY, I tell you, just like YOU, Goddess Katara! I think we should have more! More! MORE!” And then Zuko’s knees wobbled and he fell to the ground, still chanting for more soup.

Sokka pounded a fist against his knee, knives of laughter digging into his stomach. Toph laughed loudly next to him. This was priceless.

Katara rushed forward, dragging Zuko off the ground and pulling his am around her shoulders, shooting a dark glance at Sokka. “No, no, I think you’ve had enough. Let’s get you off to bed, Zuko, so I can yell at Sokka.”

“Zuko, still half slumped over, looked up at Katara as she dragged him away, his eyes wide. “I’ll only go to bed if you come with me, Soup Goddess Katara! Come with me!”

Katara blushed a deep scarlet, but made no comment as she dragged him away.

Aang, who had been watching expressionlessly from the sidelines, turned to Sokka. “You spiked his soup with cactus juice again, didn’t you?”

Toph snorted. “As if THAT wasn’t obvious. But extremely funny, anyways. Good job.” She pounded Sokka on the back. Hard.

Aang, looking rather pained, asked tiredly, “Why, WHY did you do it, Sokka?”

Sokka, still laughing, managed to gasp out, “I thought…hahaha…I thought it’d be funny!” Aang put his face his hands.

Toph grinned wickedly. “You’re learning, Sokka.”

Zutara Week Day 3: Jealousy

“Don’t you ever wish for that, Toph?”

“Wish for what?”

Aang leaned back against the log, stirring the air around him into a miniature whirlwind absentmindedly. “Well…look at them.” Aang nodded in the direction of Zuko and Katara, who were laughing and having a ‘water fight’, which was Katara was clearly winning. But whenever she got close to completely soaking Zuko, he would unleash a controlled wave of fire to evaporate the water and dry himself off. “They’re completely in love.” Aang sighed loudly, still staring at the couple.

“I could ask you the same question, Twinkletoes,” Toph pointed out.

Aang just looked at her.

“Don’t give me that look. Just because I can’t see it, doesn’t mean I can’t see it.” Toph wriggled her toes triumphantly.

Aang sighed again, looking a little queasy. “Maybe. But seriously, Toph, aren’t you ever jealous?”

Zuko and Katara had stopped splashing water, and were bickering with each other now. Zuko wrapped his hand firmly around Katara’s, and continued bickering. Katara reached up and anchored Zuko’s head in place with her other hand, and pushed her forehead up against his. They were still bickering, but they were leaning closer together, closer…

“No,” Toph lied firmly, as Aang looked away from the couple.

He gave her a weird look. “Whatever you say, Toph, I’m going to go take a ride with Appa.” He stood up, brushing dust from his pants, trying very hard not to look at the couple. “But for what it’s worth…” Aang looked at Toph, then over at Sokka, who was watching them fixedly. “I’m not sure I believe you. And I think I can name someone else who’s a little bit jealous…” With a final glance at Sokka and a shrug, Aang picked up his glider from its place against the log and bounced away.

Sokka stood up, walking over to where Toph was and sitting down silently. Zuko and Katara went back to splashing each other, laughing. “They’re quite a pair, aren’t they?” Sokka asked.

Toph nodded, blushing at the proximity to Sokka. “Yeah, they are.”

Well…maybe Aang is right. Maybe I am jealous…but just a little bit.