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airiustide · 6 years

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Day 6: Constellations

Modern A/U

@zutaramonth

Katara turned the telescope on her tripod, using the eye piece to better adjust it. She was quite excited to use the gift her father gave her on her eighteenth birthday. When her physics teacher gave her class a project, in which they would work in teams, and document any findings of constellations, she couldn't wait. Striving for straight A's and studying nonstop gave her little time to enjoy it. And what better time to put her favorite hobby to good use. Katara inhaled the smell of ocean, closing her eyes and allowing the sound of waves to overcome her senses.

Unfortunately for her, her partner was none other than Zuko, the school's top jock and most popular student. In fact, she's made plenty of effort to avoid him at all cost. She didn't care much for the group he hung around with that consisted of Azula, Ty Lee and his girlfriend, Mai. No. She just wanted to get through high school peacefully and graduate with honors. This was her senior year and she was excited to make the next step in life.

Turning the focusing knob to her liking, Katara went to sit down on the blanket she spread out on the grass right at the edge of the beach where it met the sand. She sat down in a slump, sighing angrily. Zuko was a half hour late and she was ready to go. She made sure to arrive an hour early to set up, bringing snacks and drinks in a small cooler in case they got hungry. Not that she cared for Zuko's comfort, it was only just in case.

A pair of footsteps stirred her from her thoughts and she jerked her head around to catch Zuko walking in her direction, mumbling under his breath. Katara huffed at his tardiness. "You're late." She commented.

Zuko slid his hand over his face and groaned. "Yeah. I know. Look, I'm sorry."

She eyed him from head to toe, stopping to scan his face. He looked exhausted and pale. "You okay?" She asked, little concern in her voice.

Zuko caught onto her tone and frowned. "Peachy."

"Good. That means we can get started." Katara wasn't unaware of the inaudible mock he made of her words. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner he could go home, and she could spend the rest her Friday night alone with the stars.

Zuko sat next to her, eyeing her as she pulled out a tablet from her bookbag and used the stylus to write some notes. He felt like an idiot for not coming prepared but it all slipped his mind when another argument with Mai about something absolutely petty came rearing its ugly head. Nothing satisfied her. Even after two years together, the arguments only escalated. Resulting in numerous breakups and mental frustration. Mai claimed she was through with him for the hundredth time and to be honest, he didn't really care if it was. "I, uh, didn't bring anything." He admitted.

Katara averted her eyes back to him, knitting her brow but went to grab a notebook and pen to let him borrow. "I got extra." She said.

Zuko always knew Katara was an overachiever. She was talked about from time to time among his group of friends. The hottie, Katara, a 'Miss Goody Goody' who wouldn't allow a single man near her. He knew it was only because she turned them down viciously. Making any boy asking her out to leave with his tail tucked between his legs. Zuko actually found her amusing. He wouldn't have minded approaching her years ago, but she always gave off a 'stay away' aura. Zuko wasn't the type to invade someone's space uninvited, therefore their years in high school together made them never cross paths. He leaned back, palms placed on the ground, looking over at the cooler next to her. "Those beers in there?" he asked, trying to break the awkward tension.

"Sorry, this isn't some party. We're here to work." She bit.

"Geez, I was just trying to lighten the mood." He raised his hands up in surrender.

Katara sighed softly. "I'm sorry. Uh…let's see what we could find." They both got up to stand in front of the telescope. Katara brushed sand off her lap. "You wanna look or document?"

"Might wanna look. You seem better at this than I am."

Katara nodded, leaning into the eyepiece. She moved the telescope facing southeast of the clear skies, hoping to catch something. She figured it would take a bit to find anything good.

"What exactly are you hoping to find tonight?" Zuko asked, trying to make small talk.

"Mmm." She hummed. "I was hoping to find something from the Chinese constellations. Maybe Grus or Pavo. Their both known for being found in the southern sky."

"You sure know a lot about stars." Zuko said, hoping it sounded like a compliment. He seemed pleased when she stood up to look at him with a blush gracing her cheeks.

"I don't know much." She replied, pursing her lips. Katara bent over again to search the skies. Her breath caught in her throat and she squealed, "I can't believe this!"

"What? What happened?"

"It's a dark cloud!"

"Huh?"

She gestured him over with her hand to take a look. Zuko took her place to see what all the excitement was about. "See those dark clouds?" She asked. He nodded. "That is 'the emu in the sky'. The dark areas in the Milky Way is known for making the shapes of animals. Well, at least according to some cultures. The 'emu' being the most famous in Australian Aboriginal astronomy."

Zuko raised his brows. He had never seen anything like it, let alone knew it existed. He always figured astronomy would be boring, but he was overcome by how beautiful and unreal it was. "I never knew how different things were outside of our world." He said.

"Isn't it fascinating?" Katara gave him sweet smile. His heart jumped.

"I can see why you love it so much."

"I do. Very much." Her faced relaxed in contentment. He took in how beautiful she looked when she was calm.

It was Zuko's turn to blush, turning back to the eyepiece, he cleared his throat. "So, um-what else can we find."

Giving him direction, Katara went on to show him more constellations. They found Hydrus (the Water Snake), Phoenix (the Firebird) and even Pavo (the Peacock), among other constellations and some outside the Chinese constellations.

They decided to take a break after some time. Sitting down, Katara handed him a soda out of the cooler. "What'd you think?" She asked.

"Can I be honest?" Zuko scooted closer to her, their knees touching, he was glad she didn't retreat. "This was the most fun I had…well…ever."

"You're joking." Katara chuckled. "You don't have to say it because you're forced to keep me company."

"Why would you say that." His face contorted in confusion. "I didn't think I was forced to do anything, I don't mind hanging out with you."

Katara felt embarrassment heat her cheeks. "Oh, I just thought…I don't know…that you don't like me or something. We've never talked before."

"And that says I dislike you? It's not like I never wanted to talk to you, you just seemed unapproachable."

Katara was surprised. She always had Zuko pegged as egotistical, angry and inconsiderate. But in reality, after spending just a couple hours with him, she had come to learn he was a genuinely nice person. He was polite, thoughtful and a little awkward. She found it kind of cute and couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. "I wasn't trying to be unapproachable. I guess sometimes I get so caught up in my studies that I forget how much I need to socialize. I should at least spend my last month as a senior doing something exciting."

Zuko laughed. "Maybe I should spend more time looking at the stars." But when he said that, he was staring into her cerulean eyes. They flickered with something he was quite familiar with.

Katara's breath hitched at how his pools of gold pulled her in. She felt she could melt in them all night. She always knew Zuko was handsome, even with his scar. It made him even more intriguing and a part of her thought how nice it would be to get to know him now that they've bonded under the star.

#zutara month #zutara month 2017 #zutara fanfiction #day 6 #modern au #drabble

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