Don't Ask. Don't Tell.
By Hikaru

As the destined future leader of the Fire Nation, some things were implicitly bred into Prince Zuko's ethos. However, as he had learned a few months previous, money management was not one of them. He was not one to haggle with the price. He paid what he was told and went on his way without question. So it puzzled him when the Avatar approached him to go buy supplies with three copper pieces and one silver coin.

"You want me to go get supplies... with that?" Zuko asked flatly. Even the most experienced bargainers couldn't buy more than a two day's supply of food with that little amount of money.

The Avatar looked away shyly. "It's all we got right now. Hopefully we can pick some up on the way to Omashu, but we need food now."

"Don't worry Aang," Zuko heard Katara walk up behind him. She was smiling at the Avatar that much he was sure of. But he couldn't help but feel the quickening of his heart. He wasn't jealous. He wasn't jealous. "It'll be fine. I'm sure we can get plenty with that."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. What fairytale world was she living in? Clearly not this one. "Whatever," Zuko took the money from the Avatar. "I'll be back in a few hours."

But as he began to walk away, he heard the water bender call to him. "Wait, Zuko! I'll go with you to help carry the food!"

He froze in his step. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that she had been planning this from the very beginning. As she raced to be in front of him, and smiled widely at him, Zuko decided certainly that yes, this had been her plan all along.

When they were both out of hearing distance from the earth bender, Zuko raised an eyebrow and looked over to his companion. "You suggested to the Avatar that I go buy the supplies, didn't you?"

Katara let out a guilty nervous laugh. "Was it that obvious?"

"To me it was. It'll probably take the Avatar a few days to put it together." She playfully hit Zuko on the arm. He looked at her, pretending to be offended by the physical contact. And so it began.

"I wish you would just call him 'Aang.' Every time you call him the Avatar, my arms get covered in goose bumps. It reminds me too much of..."

"Of?" Zuko asked imploringly, furrowing his brow.

Katara looked up to the clouds for help. They weren't any. "Of the first time we met," she replied, looking him straight in the eyes. But in that look there was so much that was left unsaid. Of when we fought in the North Pole. Of Ba Sing Sei. Of when you broke my heart. Of when I thought I lost you forever.

Zuko looked guiltily down at the ground. "It's a habit. I will try to break it." Katara smiled at him. "For your sake," Zuko added quietly. Their steps slowed down as they both moved in closer to each other. "You aren't going to tell them, are you?"

"What's to tell?" she asked quietly. Zuko paused in walking, looking at her in complete shock. "No, I mean, that came out wrong..." she stuttered. Katara slipped her arm around his. "I don't think it's their right to know. Besides, all my past boyfriends-"

"Boyfriends?" He raised an eyebrow as he tried to pull his arm away from her grip. But the water bender held on tight.

Katara winced. "That sounded bad too. Uhhh, let's just say I haven't had much luck with guys in the last year."

In silence, they continued to walk down the path to the village. Finally, Zuko asked, "How many?"

"What?" Katara blinked.

"How many?" Zuko repeated. When the water bender still looked lost, he added, "Boyfriends. How many have you had?"

"Including you?"

Zuko glared.

"Three," Katara answered flatly with a nod. Although, if you asked her, she would not have counted Haru as a 'boyfriend' per say. He was a cutie, who she just wanted to inspire. However, there was the fact that she couldn't deny that she risked her life to save him, and Haru very clearly had feelings for her. With a sigh, Katara explained, "Haru and I never really got close though. I just got myself arrested by the Fire Nation in order to save him..."

"That's when you lost your necklace..." Zuko quietly observed, a strange smile forming on his face.

Katara looked over to him, with a faint blush on her cheeks. "Yeah, it was. Thank you, by the way... for returning it to me."

"Returning it?" he repeated. He never returned it. The Avatar took it from him. Although Zuko would never admit it to her, he had been enamored with Katara ever since he had first laid eyes on her. Finding the necklace gave him something attached to her, without overstepping the line of the enemy. Even when he offered to give it back to her, he knew that she wouldn't make the bargain. He counted on it. That way, the necklace would always stay in his possession. Perhaps he was good at bargaining after all. "Right," he said distantly, returning from his thoughts. "You're welcome."

Raising an eyebrow at how distant he sounded, Katara shook his arm. "Hey. I'm here. Remember? We should enjoy this time alone."

"Sorry, if the stirring conversation about your past boyfriends has taken me out of a romantic mood. I'm funny like that." Zuko retorted, grimacing.

She poked him lightly in the cheek that she could see. "Don't be like that, Zuko."

"I'll be like any way I please," he replied, getting angrier by the moment.

"I wouldn't get upset at you if you told me about your old girlfriends."

"That's because I never had..." Zuko's voice trailed off. "Okay, so I've had a date with someone else."

"See?" Katara retorted. "Now do you see me getting jealous and all mad at you?" But although the words coming out of her mouth sounded calm enough, Zuko could hear anger creeping into her voice. And the twitching of her eye. Yep, she was jealous. "It's not like you and I havent been able to go out on a date yet. It's not like we're too busy saving the world or anything."

Now Zuko could see Katara's flask shaking back and forth on her side. "Hey, calm..."

"Was she pretty?" Katara snapped.

"What?"

"Was she pretty?"

"Jin?" Zuko asked, bewildered.

"Her name was Jin?" Now there was water seeping out of the flask.

But Zuko had already resigned himself to play devil's advocate in this matter. After all, it was only fair. With a smirk, he replied, "I suppose she was. She was..." he paused, trying to find the words he was thinking of. His uncle's description was the first thing that came to his mind. "Very healthy."

Katara released his hold on Zuko and punched him in the stomach. "I don't believe you!" she screamed.

"What?" Zuko asked indignantly.

"You're saying she had big breasts! Bigger than mine, right? You jerk!" She punched him again.

"Stop hitting me!" Zuko screamed back. "I didn't say that-"

"I have an older brother, Zuko. I know guy lingo."

With a sigh, Zuko stood up straight. "Okay then. You want honesty?" he said, getting angrier by the second. "They were," he said flatly. Another punch. "Stop hitting me!"

"I'll keep hitting you if I want, you... you-!"

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Nice comeback." Katara glared. "Besides, what should it matter that I went on a date?" He was still glaring at her, but, if anything, his voice was calming down slightly. This was what he wanted, after all. "Nothing really happened on said date. We only kissed and--oooof!" Katara punched him again, this time sending him to the ground.

"You kissed her on the first date?!" Katara steamed. "That's it. Relationship over. I didn't realize how much of a playboy you were under that angsty exterior."

"Playboy? Angsty? Excuse me, Miss I've-had-two-other-boyfriends-in-the-last-year?"

"But I didn't kiss them!"

"She kissed me, okay?" he said with a wave of his hands. "And then I told her that nothing else could happen between us because it was complicated."

The anger left her eyes. "Complicated? You mean..."

"Yeah," Zuko looked over at her, incredibly annoyed.

"But we-" Katara looked at her hands, lost for words. "You never-"

Zuko stood up and brushed himself off. "You would think the necklace was enough."

"Even back then?" Katara whispered, pushing her body against his back. "Why didn't you say something?"

"Oh, you mean between you throwing water and ice at me, and me trying to capture the Avatar? You think I could have just thrown in a 'Oh and by the way, I'm crazy about you and have been ever since I first saw you in the South Pole.'"

Blushing Katara took his hand in hers. "I think you could've."

"Yeah," Zuko scoffed. "It would have gone over great. Because you wouldn't have thought I was trying to trick you or anything."

"Well," Katara said, squeezing his hand. "I can't help it if you're a jerk."

He slowly turned his head to face Katara, the smirk back on his lips. "Why do I like you again?"

"Because," she leaned her face forward, pressing her lips gently against his. Zuko shifted his body to face hers without pulling away. When Katara finally broke the kiss, she was grinning. "That's why."

"Oh, I remember now..." he said, closing his eyes. Zuko leaned in for another kiss, only to be stopped by Katara's fingers. He opened his eyes, annoyed once more. "Now what?"

"Someone's coming."

By the time Sokka and Toph had made it to the couple, they were already standing far away from each other, appearing to be nothing but companions traveling to the marketplace. Sokka let out a long breath and glared at Toph. "See? I told you you were hearing things wrong, you freak of nature! Katara would never get near Zuko, much less touch him."

"Whatever, I know what I heard," Toph replied.

"Sokka!" Katara called. "What are you two doing here?"

Toph and Sokka sped up their pace to catch up with where Zuko and Katara were. "I wanted to check out some of the weapons shops near by when Aang told me that you already left with Jerk Face," he motioned to Zuko. Zuko glared before starting to walk again. "So I thought I'd tag along."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "And Toph?"

"I'm here to make sure no one gets murdered," she said with a nod.

"Murdered?" Katara blinked.

"Yeah," Sokka laughed exaggeratingly loud. "Toph was under the impression that you and Zuko were trying to sneak away for some romantic interlude."

Katara laughed nervously. "Yeah, right." She looked quickly back over to Zuko's retreating figure and blushed.

So much for that idea.

Fin

Disclaimer:
This fiction was written for entertainment purposes only. Characters of Avatar: TLA belong to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko and Nick. Standard disclaimers apply.