Archive of Our Own ^beta

He rubbed his eyes. Something had woken him. He didn’t have to guess long, as he heard his girlfriend whimper next to him. Still drowsy he tried to make out whether she was awake. Raindrops pelted against the windows and the roof above them. He couldn’t make out much in the darkness, so he took the liberty of lighting a flame between his right thumb and index finger.

Katara lay there, her legs strangled by the bedsheets, her hair tousled and sticking to her forehead and neck, where she had clearly been sweating. If he took a closer look at her face, he thought he could make out thin streaks marking her cheeks as if she has been crying. But she hadn’t woken up yet, that much was clear.

Gently he whispered her name and asked, if she was okay while stroking her shoulder. Only when he started shaking her gently, she shot up and opened her eyes.

“Zuko?” she mumbled. “Oh thank God it is you. I had nightmares and you…” she buried her face in her hands. Zuko shuffled a little closer.  “What did you dream about? Do you want to talk about it?” he asked her.

Katara looked to the side. “Same as always.” she sighed. “I was back in the hut with my mother when Yon Rah ventured inside” She hugged her knees and pulled them a little closer to her chest. “Only this time, it wasn’t my mother he was burning.”

After a short pause, she looked at him and whispered

“It was you.”

Her eyes filled with tears, but she held her breath and they could only escape once she closed her eyelids. Zuko wanted to help her somehow, lessen the pain she was feeling. He knew perfectly well how it felt to be trapped in a reoccurring nightmare, reliving the same moment over and over again. Hundreds of iterations, each one a little different but still the same. Maybe he could be there for her and make it a little easier.

“Do you need a hug?” Zuko offered. She nodded slightly and leaned against him. He wrapped his arms tight around her shoulders and pulled her close. He could feel her relaxing, when she placed her head on his shoulder. Her body felt warm and although he was comforting her, he felt himself relaxing a little bit as well. Katara was still breathing a little shallowly, though, and her body twitched slightly with every sob.

“Breathe, Katara. It is alright, I am right here beside you. I won’t go anywhere.”

He could hear her take a deep breath. They sat like this a little while, occasionally shifting their weight and Zuko slowly stroked her. First her back and then he worked his way to her shoulders, her arms, her neck and ultimately her head. He placed it gently upon his lap and traced her features with his fingers. After some time, he could tell that she was getting sleepy again. Indeed, sooner rather than later, her breath was getting steadier, and she fell asleep again.

Zuko waited a few minutes and then tried to put her head back on the cushion without her noticing, but Katara grunted groggily and as he retreated to his side of the bed she mumbled for him to come back. He gladly obeyed and nestled together the both of them drifted back to sleep.