“Son,” Hakoda said flatly, and Zuko turned crimson, but answered.
“Yes. And I’m not apologizing or promising that it won’t happen again- barring him being unwilling. I just- I wanted you all to know what was going on.”
“Well, we know,” Sokka replied, glancing to his sister and his friend, desire to disbelieve plain on his face. Aang had a reasonable explanation, sure, but reasonable explanations did not soothe ‘my friend is knocked up by my father, which is physically impossible before spirits get involved, by the way’. “Now what do we do about it?”
Zuko looked like he was going to say something regrettable before Hakoda rested his hand on the younger man’s shoulder, line-framed face set calmly.
“The child belongs to the Firelord- to Zuko. And he’s pretty clear on what that entails- love, respect and I would hope the support of friends and family.”
“You have mine,” Aang said. He glanced at Katara, who looked between the lot of them as if unable to chose which to demand answers of first.
“What are your ministers going to say about this?” Sokka interjected. “Aren’t they going to want some sort of- formal treaty, or a wife to explain this away? Good grief, are they going to make you and Dad get married-?”
“They tried to force the issue with me and Mai,” Zuko said with a grim smile. “You saw how well that worked out.” There were three years left in her ten-year moratorium on all things marriage and politics, and she was still hunting pirates and kicking ass in Earth Kingdom dives. Independence suited her, and last year’s Midwinter gift had been to name her and her gang an auxiliary peacekeeping-unit, with a budget and everything. Her letter of thanks had been dry and suggested a few more interesting things that could have been done with the time she now spent record-keeping.
“Yeah, well-“
“No one is forcing anyone to anything,” Hakoda stated, sternly taking command. “Katara, I’m going to be giving you some more of the duties of chief’s heir- I think you’re ready for them, and I’m going to need to be free to move. Sokka, Aang- I’d like to speak with you together, please,” the older man said, stepping past them to leave the tent. The Avatar shared a look with his friend, and they both followed.
It left the two of them alone together. Zuko looked between the Southern Chief’s daughter and the surface of the desk where his fingers were curled in a tense fist. She stood with her arms uncrossed, drawing her eyes up to his with her mouth in a flat line. She stepped closer, and he bowed his head.
Katara grabbed the Firelord into a hug.
“Come on, let me look at you,” she said, not soothing but not scathing either. Zuko obliged, sitting down on the edge of the bed once she’d released him, and Katara uncapped her ever-present waterskin in a businesslike manner.
Glowing water clung to her hands- after the war had been settled she’d gone back to Yugoda to earn true mastery of healing, and Pakku as well. The brute strokes she’d advanced so quickly through had been sufficient to get them through the end-days of the war, but only just- and there was always more to learn and refine. Even Toph could admit that, off living wild with a colony of badgermoles for a year.
Zuko looked down at her, sitting with his shirt rucked up and Imperial dignity shut away somewhere in a closet for when it was needed again.
“Are you okay with this?” he had to ask.
Katara kept her head bowed over her work, easing healing energy in slow circles as she got a feel for both his and the baby’s chi, and the echoes of shape and form within.
“I’m- okay with you having a baby, weird as that is. I’m kind of okay with you having a kid who’s going to be half-Water Tribe, but still raised as your heir- I think you can manage to pull it off, especially if we get to help. You and Dad? My baby half-sib raised in that viper-web of a court? Still sitting there like a rock.”
“I really didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“I know you didn’t. How could you?” There was silence for a while, as she worked over the taut surface of his abdomen.
Hakoda/Zuko, Feeling the Awkward Pt.3
“Son,” Hakoda said flatly, and Zuko turned crimson, but answered.
“Yes. And I’m not apologizing or promising that it won’t happen again- barring him being unwilling. I just- I wanted you all to know what was going on.”
“Well, we know,” Sokka replied, glancing to his sister and his friend, desire to disbelieve plain on his face. Aang had a reasonable explanation, sure, but reasonable explanations did not soothe ‘my friend is knocked up by my father, which is physically impossible before spirits get involved, by the way’. “Now what do we do about it?”
Zuko looked like he was going to say something regrettable before Hakoda rested his hand on the younger man’s shoulder, line-framed face set calmly.
“The child belongs to the Firelord- to Zuko. And he’s pretty clear on what that entails- love, respect and I would hope the support of friends and family.”
“You have mine,” Aang said. He glanced at Katara, who looked between the lot of them as if unable to chose which to demand answers of first.
“What are your ministers going to say about this?” Sokka interjected. “Aren’t they going to want some sort of- formal treaty, or a wife to explain this away? Good grief, are they going to make you and Dad get married-?”
“They tried to force the issue with me and Mai,” Zuko said with a grim smile. “You saw how well that worked out.” There were three years left in her ten-year moratorium on all things marriage and politics, and she was still hunting pirates and kicking ass in Earth Kingdom dives. Independence suited her, and last year’s Midwinter gift had been to name her and her gang an auxiliary peacekeeping-unit, with a budget and everything. Her letter of thanks had been dry and suggested a few more interesting things that could have been done with the time she now spent record-keeping.
“Yeah, well-“
“No one is forcing anyone to anything,” Hakoda stated, sternly taking command. “Katara, I’m going to be giving you some more of the duties of chief’s heir- I think you’re ready for them, and I’m going to need to be free to move. Sokka, Aang- I’d like to speak with you together, please,” the older man said, stepping past them to leave the tent. The Avatar shared a look with his friend, and they both followed.
It left the two of them alone together. Zuko looked between the Southern Chief’s daughter and the surface of the desk where his fingers were curled in a tense fist. She stood with her arms uncrossed, drawing her eyes up to his with her mouth in a flat line. She stepped closer, and he bowed his head.
Katara grabbed the Firelord into a hug.
“Come on, let me look at you,” she said, not soothing but not scathing either. Zuko obliged, sitting down on the edge of the bed once she’d released him, and Katara uncapped her ever-present waterskin in a businesslike manner.
Glowing water clung to her hands- after the war had been settled she’d gone back to Yugoda to earn true mastery of healing, and Pakku as well. The brute strokes she’d advanced so quickly through had been sufficient to get them through the end-days of the war, but only just- and there was always more to learn and refine. Even Toph could admit that, off living wild with a colony of badgermoles for a year.
Zuko looked down at her, sitting with his shirt rucked up and Imperial dignity shut away somewhere in a closet for when it was needed again.
“Are you okay with this?” he had to ask.
Katara kept her head bowed over her work, easing healing energy in slow circles as she got a feel for both his and the baby’s chi, and the echoes of shape and form within.
“I’m- okay with you having a baby, weird as that is. I’m kind of okay with you having a kid who’s going to be half-Water Tribe, but still raised as your heir- I think you can manage to pull it off, especially if we get to help. You and Dad? My baby half-sib raised in that viper-web of a court? Still sitting there like a rock.”
“I really didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“I know you didn’t. How could you?” There was silence for a while, as she worked over the taut surface of his abdomen.